Hemp for Victory

Hemp is a part of American History. 

Recently, the Oregon Republican Party gathered in Bend to go their bylaws. All in all most things in stayed the same. When people pushed for major change the body generally fought back. Not surprising as Conservatives generally resist change. One example of this was when someone wanted to add support for the cultivation of legalized hemp in Oregon. This was done in the caucus I participated in, Environment, Natural Resources, and Industry. While some where supportive of the idea, many in the group reacted like we were trying to give some sort of honor to Bin Laden. The general consensus was two fold. First, we don’t want to legalize drugs. Secondly, that sounds like something the Democrats would do.

This will cover mainly the first issue, but I would like to end with a couple of points about the second issue.

One man, a self professed former drug enforcement agent reminded everyone that we can’t legalize drugs because the fallout would be much too severe. My response: Hemp is NOT a drug. Ill repeat just in case you missed it. Hemp is NOT a drug.

Hemp is part of the same family as marijuana, cannabis sativa L. Because they are in the same family hemp is often mistaken for marijuana. Their leafs for example look quite similar. However, hemp contains around .02% THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol). THC is the chemical that has psychotropic effects. By comparison Marijuana’s THC levels are between 5% and 20%. Stated another way, Marijuana has 250 to 1000 times more THC. Hemp’s relationship to marijuana is very similar to something that grows well here in the Pacific Northwest: mushrooms.

During the fall you can go to any woody area and find mushrooms. Some are poisonous, but some like chanterelle and lobster’s are not only edible but pricey. A few hours in the woods can net you $100. Lobster mushrooms and psychedelic mushrooms are both mushrooms. One is illegal the other is not. I have never had a former DEA drug enforcement officer tell me that the mushrooms in my spaghetti sauce were drugs. Why are we keeping hemp illegal while at the same time allowing mushrooms to be served everyday?

Which one of the two following images is an illegal substance?

Here is a quick list of some hemp benefits.

-Hemp uses less pesticides than many other agricultural product and less chemicals in our environment is always better. 50% of the worlds pesticides are sprayed for growing cotton and hemp is a great alternative to cotton. Likewise, hemp is made into paper without using bleach and can be recycled many times more than paper made from wood.

-At a volume level of 81%, hemp oil is the richest known source of polyunsaturated essential fatty acids (the “good” fats). It’s quite high in some essential amino acids, including gamma linoleic acid (GLA), a very rare nutrient also found in mother’s milk

-Hemp can yield 3-8 dry tons of fiber per acre, four times what an average forest can yield.

-Hemp can grow in a variety of climates and soil types. It grows in such tight patterns that weeds don’t grow where hemp does. This means less pesticides and a weed free field for the next crop.

Three interesting hemp facts below:

-Uniforms, canvas and rope were created using hemp during WWII. Because of this, hemp was very important to the US and it’s Armed Forces. When Japan cut off our supply we started growing hemp in America once again. The United States even created a propaganda film on the subject titled Hemp for Victory.

-Jefferson drafted the US Declaration of Independence on hemp paper. Not only did he write on hemp, but he also grew it. As did, George Washington and Ben Franklin.

-Hemp production was required in the early American colonies due to it’s importance in making sails and rope. In 1645 you could be jailed for not producing hemp. Literally the exact opposite of today.

Now I will talk a little more about the aforementioned point two: Supporting hemp is something the Democrats would do. I don’t care what the Democrats do so long as it’s right. I am not active within any political party because I live to counter everything the Democrates do, say and stand for. I am an active Republican because I think our philosophy is right. The day to day issues and policies are much more flexible and debatable. If the Democrats are right on an issue let’s join them. Maybe they will return the favor. I don’t care if it’s a Democrat or a Republican who passes sound legislations so long as it gets done.

At the end of the day hemp is NOT a drug. If we espouse the message of liberty and freedom, should we not support the farmers right to grow the crop he/she so chooses? We are literally killing opportunity in America with over regulating many industries. Is the industrial hemp issue not a great example of this? It seems to me that Republicans shouldn’t be concerned about what the Democrats are doing and instead find issues they can lead on. Then they should take the lead.