Peace and hemp can save the planet
Why is it that none of the big media, politicians or religions are talking about ending the drug war as a away of ending the climate crisis? Hemp has been used for millennia for paper, cloth, canvas, rope, medicine, food, animal feed and fuel? It is the least dangerous drug out there compared to tobacco and alcohol yet we spend so much energy and money to destroy the hemp crop in America and other countries. Millions use it as a sacrament and still people are thrown in prison for it. This is an environmental, human rights and peace issue. End the drug war now.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by David Carlson on
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It pays to read the fine print on manifestos issued by organizations we might otherwise support emotionally and rationally. A wide ranging collection of non-profit organizations, state and federal government agencies is organizing now to eradicate Invasive Species from the Great Lakes Watershed. Hemp was listed among hundreds of offending plants, insects, fish and animals.
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I happen to serve on the board of one of the most active non-profit organizations in Northeast Minnesota, which decided to support the effort. Sugarloaf: the North Shore Stewardship Association has environmental restoration, preservation, and education as its mission. Most of the general membership are knowledgeable, influential activists in the Climate Change arena. Several of the board members actively promote the benefits of hemp. There are good reasons to support the overall Invasive Species initiative anyway.
A few years ago our Twin Cities Chapter of the Parliament of World Religions faced a dilemma when asked to join an anti-racism initiative. We chose not to sign, because violent action was advocated as needed.
I remember in the 1950's my dad pointing to a large field of hemp growing behind his grandfather's barn in Southwest Minnesota. He wondered how it had managed to escape federal agents. Childhood memories stick. I'm not aware that hemp grows in Northeast Minnesota, but I know where to buy hemp products. -
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Permalink Reply by Don Meinshausen on -
Any plant can be invasive. Hemp should be a crop that is allowed to grow where it isn't considered invasive. But how do you enforce that when any plant can be considered a weed? It does have many uses besides as a recreational drug.
David Carlson said:It pays to read the fine print on manifestos issued by organizations we might otherwise support emotionally and rationally. A wide ranging collection of non-profit organizations, state and federal government agencies is organizing now to eradicate Invasive Species from the Great Lakes Watershed. Hemp was listed among hundreds of offending plants, insects, fish and animals.
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I happen to serve on the board of one of the most active non-profit organizations in Northeast Minnesota, which decided to support the effort. Sugarloaf: the North Shore Stewardship Association has environmental restoration, preservation, and education as its mission. Most of the general membership are knowledgeable, influential activists in the Climate Change arena. Several of the board members actively promote the benefits of hemp. There are good reasons to support the overall Invasive Species initiative anyway.
A few years ago our Twin Cities Chapter of the Parliament of World Religions faced a dilemma when asked to join an anti-racism initiative. We chose not to sign, because violent action was advocated as needed.
I remember in the 1950's my dad pointing to a large field of hemp growing behind his grandfather's barn in Southwest Minnesota. He wondered how it had managed to escape federal agents. Childhood memories stick. I'm not aware that hemp grows in Northeast Minnesota, but I know where to buy hemp products. -
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One step in the right direction that may not need legislative action is to eliminate barriers created by conflicting government policies. At the Superior Food Summit in Duluth last November, a panel discussion and slide presentation documented serious barriers between the federal departments of Agricullture and Commerce. As an example, it is not possible to ship fresh blueberries 90 miles from Bayfield, WI to Duluth, MN. They must ship via a certified distributor, usually in the Twin Cities (minimum 7 hours Bayfield to Duluth) or Milwaukee (minimum 16 hours to Duluth). Obviously, a big bad climate footprint.
The general picture is a fifteen county region involving three states, plus Ontario, that involves the entire Lake Superior Watershed, and half of Lake Michigan. There seems to be support among representatives of government agencies to eliminate inter-agency barriers. Who's going to make enough noise to get action?
I'm not a libertarian, but here's a case where minimizing government policy and enforcement makes sense. I'm not a Republican either, but Nixon's strategy to always offer an economic incentive to get your enemy to do what you want may be the answer to hemp. What does it take to establish a highly profitable hemp business employing hundreds of people in the supply chain? -
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