17 ms·

McConnell bill would legalize hemp as agricultural product

131 points by gscott 9y ago

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
snsr 9y ago
Legalize it.
Hupriene 9y ago
A WWII newsreel encouraging farmers to grow hemp: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8tG_0AJvnw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8tG_0AJvnw
- protomyth 9y ago
  It was a big war crop in North Dakota. I do believe the rope on the USS Constitution is help.
labster 9y ago
The Constitution is written on hemp. Truly, legal hemp is what The Framers intended.
- Zarath 9y ago
  Source for this? A little searching is telling me this is a myth.
  - ConcernedCoder 9y ago
    How about a source that disproves it entirely instead? https://www.usconstitution.net/constfaq_q145.html https://www.usconstitution.net/constfaq_q145.html
    - chimeracoder 9y ago
      > How about a source that disproves it entirely instead? As pointed out in your link, the copy in the National Archives isn't written on hemp, but the first drafts of the Constitution - ie, as it was literally being written - likely were. OP misstated it slightly, or in a way that's a bit misleading, but it's not incorrect.
    - TheSpiceIsLife 9y ago
      Maybe the grand-parent meant the people who wrote the constitution were stoned.
- twright 9y ago
  It's written on parchment[1], I've found mentions that the _drafts_ were on hemp paper but not a firm source on how we know this or where these drafts are now. [1] https://www.archives.gov/preservation/formats/paper-vellum.html https://www.archives.gov/preservation/formats/paper-vellum.h...
blunte 9y ago
I do not believe with the current administration and Jeff Sessions as Attorney General - who seems particularly anti-marijuana - that this has any chance of success. Of course hemp is not marijuana, but that has not stopped the DEA from making every effort to make them synonymous. The DEA has gone so far as to create rules that are not based on US laws, and in fact are counter to US federal laws in an effort to restrict hemp. This is gotten them a slap on the wrist at least once by federal court. Hemp is a fantastic plant with many unique and important uses. One has to wonder why the US has, since the 1930s I believe, been so against it. One might suspect the pharmaceutical industry has a vested interest in seeing hemp (and its naughty cousin, marijuana) banned since there are health products with documented human benefits that compare more favorably to some drugs made by companies. One might also suspect the private prison industry whose growth has swelled under drug policies instituted in the 1980 which dramatically increased the populations of people locked up for minor drug offenses. In short, this is nice to hear about, but it is more likely to be a show piece for McConnell to please his Kentucky constituents with.
- JumpCrisscross 9y ago
  > Jeff Sessions Do we know Scott Pruitt's [1] position on cannabis? [1] http://thehill.com/news/administration/367628-politico-pruitt-wants-to-be-trumps-attorney-general http://thehill.com/news/administration/367628-politico-pruit...
- toomanybeersies 9y ago
  My stoner brother has some conspiracy that the timber and cotton industries are behind the demonisation of hemp. Apparently because hemp can be made into paper and fabric it would put the timber and cotton industries under threat. I never cared enough to look into it, but it wouldn't surprise me if industry lobbying is part of the reason for the suppression of hemp. I don't put too much credence in it though, because hemp is legal to grow in other countries, and it hasn't decimated the timber and cotton industries.
  - dEnigma 9y ago
    Not saying your brother's theory is right, but just because something isn't a real treat doesn't mean it can't be perceived as a threat (and consequently be lobbied against)
siruncledrew 9y ago
Wow, so are the hemp products available (like hemp string) not actual hemp? I had no idea it was illegal since it's not weed.
- sgift 9y ago
  Most are imported: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemp#United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemp#United_States
kolbe 9y ago
Hemp is a great rotation crop that adds nitrogen back into the soil. And unlike alfalfa, hemp can get some money.
bspn 9y ago
My wife has a history of seizures, depression and anxiety which we've treated with a cocktail of medicines (Cymbalta, Lyrica, Ativan, Klonopin etc, etc). She recently started using a full spectrum CBD oil and it has made a MASSIVE difference and it has allowed her to taper off all of her drugs and she is now happier and less anxious than she has been for a long time. The THC component of the oil is less than 0.4% so it has no psychoactive effect at all, and while it may not be a wonder cure-all I think a lot of people could benefit from at least trying it so I'm all in favor of any legalization efforts.
- DiffEq 9y ago
  Hemp and Marijuana (where THC comes from) is not the same thing. https://ministryofhemp.com/hemp/not-marijuana/ https://ministryofhemp.com/hemp/not-marijuana/
  - bspn 9y ago
    The oil she uses is made from hemp, hence the low THC and why (as I understand it) we can legally buy it across state lines.
    - vict00ms 9y ago
      I'm not saying that you're wrong, but most CBD oils on the market are not derived from hemp plants...they just don't contain enough THC to legally prohibit interstate shipping.
      - Fnoord 9y ago
        There is cannabis very high in THC, but low in CBD (those are generally the sativa, makes one high) and there's cannabis high in CBD but low in THC (those are generally the indica, makes one stoned). Example source with info at Sensiseeds FAQ (English version) [1]. Quoting (just the effect difference): "The effect of indica is generally classified as a ‘stone’, meaning that it is more centred on the body. Indicas may enhance physical sensations such as taste, touch and sound. The indica effect is noted for being physically and mentally relaxing and it may be soporific in larger doses. Despite their lower weight and potentially longer flowering time, sativas are valued by many growers for their ‘high’ effect. This high may be characterised as cerebral, energetic, creative, giggly or even psychedelic. It is less overpowering than the indica ‘stone’, and less likely to send the user to sleep." [1] https://sensiseeds.com/en/info/faq/difference-between-indica-and-sativa/ https://sensiseeds.com/en/info/faq/difference-between-indica...

131 points by gscott 9y ago

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

snsr 9y ago

Legalize it.

Hupriene 9y ago

A WWII newsreel encouraging farmers to grow hemp: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8tG_0AJvnw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8tG_0AJvnw

protomyth 9y ago
It was a big war crop in North Dakota. I do believe the rope on the USS Constitution is help.

labster 9y ago

The Constitution is written on hemp. Truly, legal hemp is what The Framers intended.

Zarath 9y ago
Source for this? A little searching is telling me this is a myth.
- ConcernedCoder 9y ago
  How about a source that disproves it entirely instead? https://www.usconstitution.net/constfaq_q145.html https://www.usconstitution.net/constfaq_q145.html
  - chimeracoder 9y ago
    > How about a source that disproves it entirely instead? As pointed out in your link, the copy in the National Archives isn't written on hemp, but the first drafts of the Constitution - ie, as it was literally being written - likely were. OP misstated it slightly, or in a way that's a bit misleading, but it's not incorrect.
  - TheSpiceIsLife 9y ago
    Maybe the grand-parent meant the people who wrote the constitution were stoned.
twright 9y ago
It's written on parchment[1], I've found mentions that the _drafts_ were on hemp paper but not a firm source on how we know this or where these drafts are now. [1] https://www.archives.gov/preservation/formats/paper-vellum.html https://www.archives.gov/preservation/formats/paper-vellum.h...

blunte 9y ago

I do not believe with the current administration and Jeff Sessions as Attorney General - who seems particularly anti-marijuana - that this has any chance of success. Of course hemp is not marijuana, but that has not stopped the DEA from making every effort to make them synonymous. The DEA has gone so far as to create rules that are not based on US laws, and in fact are counter to US federal laws in an effort to restrict hemp. This is gotten them a slap on the wrist at least once by federal court. Hemp is a fantastic plant with many unique and important uses. One has to wonder why the US has, since the 1930s I believe, been so against it. One might suspect the pharmaceutical industry has a vested interest in seeing hemp (and its naughty cousin, marijuana) banned since there are health products with documented human benefits that compare more favorably to some drugs made by companies. One might also suspect the private prison industry whose growth has swelled under drug policies instituted in the 1980 which dramatically increased the populations of people locked up for minor drug offenses. In short, this is nice to hear about, but it is more likely to be a show piece for McConnell to please his Kentucky constituents with.

JumpCrisscross 9y ago
> Jeff Sessions Do we know Scott Pruitt's [1] position on cannabis? [1] http://thehill.com/news/administration/367628-politico-pruitt-wants-to-be-trumps-attorney-general http://thehill.com/news/administration/367628-politico-pruit...
toomanybeersies 9y ago
My stoner brother has some conspiracy that the timber and cotton industries are behind the demonisation of hemp. Apparently because hemp can be made into paper and fabric it would put the timber and cotton industries under threat. I never cared enough to look into it, but it wouldn't surprise me if industry lobbying is part of the reason for the suppression of hemp. I don't put too much credence in it though, because hemp is legal to grow in other countries, and it hasn't decimated the timber and cotton industries.
- dEnigma 9y ago
  Not saying your brother's theory is right, but just because something isn't a real treat doesn't mean it can't be perceived as a threat (and consequently be lobbied against)

siruncledrew 9y ago

Wow, so are the hemp products available (like hemp string) not actual hemp? I had no idea it was illegal since it's not weed.

sgift 9y ago
Most are imported: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemp#United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemp#United_States

kolbe 9y ago

Hemp is a great rotation crop that adds nitrogen back into the soil. And unlike alfalfa, hemp can get some money.

bspn 9y ago

My wife has a history of seizures, depression and anxiety which we've treated with a cocktail of medicines (Cymbalta, Lyrica, Ativan, Klonopin etc, etc). She recently started using a full spectrum CBD oil and it has made a MASSIVE difference and it has allowed her to taper off all of her drugs and she is now happier and less anxious than she has been for a long time. The THC component of the oil is less than 0.4% so it has no psychoactive effect at all, and while it may not be a wonder cure-all I think a lot of people could benefit from at least trying it so I'm all in favor of any legalization efforts.

DiffEq 9y ago
Hemp and Marijuana (where THC comes from) is not the same thing. https://ministryofhemp.com/hemp/not-marijuana/ https://ministryofhemp.com/hemp/not-marijuana/
- bspn 9y ago
  The oil she uses is made from hemp, hence the low THC and why (as I understand it) we can legally buy it across state lines.
  - vict00ms 9y ago
    I'm not saying that you're wrong, but most CBD oils on the market are not derived from hemp plants...they just don't contain enough THC to legally prohibit interstate shipping.
    - Fnoord 9y ago
      There is cannabis very high in THC, but low in CBD (those are generally the sativa, makes one high) and there's cannabis high in CBD but low in THC (those are generally the indica, makes one stoned). Example source with info at Sensiseeds FAQ (English version) [1]. Quoting (just the effect difference): "The effect of indica is generally classified as a ‘stone’, meaning that it is more centred on the body. Indicas may enhance physical sensations such as taste, touch and sound. The indica effect is noted for being physically and mentally relaxing and it may be soporific in larger doses. Despite their lower weight and potentially longer flowering time, sativas are valued by many growers for their ‘high’ effect. This high may be characterised as cerebral, energetic, creative, giggly or even psychedelic. It is less overpowering than the indica ‘stone’, and less likely to send the user to sleep." [1] https://sensiseeds.com/en/info/faq/difference-between-indica-and-sativa/ https://sensiseeds.com/en/info/faq/difference-between-indica...