Hemp Update

by Vicki Oldham

I recently received an issue of HEMPWORLD, The International Hemp Journal, published bimonthly by Hemperial Productions, POB 315, Sebastopol, CA 95473 (12 issues $30). I found it to be a very informative publication. The Jan./Feb. issue was dedicated to hemp in Europe and the Cannabis Cup & Hemp Expo. I'm happy to report that Hemp cultivation and industry is flourishing in Europe, especially in Germany, Holland, France, Italy, England and Switzerland. New products are being developed and sold to grateful consumers who know that "Hemp is rope, not dope". Sadly, without the support of its own government the U.S. Hemp Industry is falling behind. The Reefer Madness mentality fostered by major corporations (Timber, Petrochemical, Pharmaceutical, Law Enforcement and Media) is having a major negative impact on the modern hemp industry. European hemp industries will soon leave America eating their dust. Because hemp can be grown regionally in Europe, we Americans can no longer compete in the free market due to shipping costs.

In Europe, hemp is an environmental and industrial issue, not at all connected with legalization for recreational use. Europeans think we're crazy for combining the two issues and that the movement in America is doomed if we don't change our course. "Cannabis smoking is the noose around the neck of hemp."

Farm Bill

The 1995 U.S. Farm Bill will set the course of U.S. Agriculture for the next five years. It is our chance to get the USDA to encourage the cultivation of industrial (low THC) hemp. Write to Dan Glickman, Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 14th and Independence Ave., SW, Washington, D.C. 20250. Ask that he include language that encourages the cultivation of low THC industrial hemp in the Farm Bill. Mention that it's a good rotational crop which contains less than 1% THC and that according to USDA Bulletin #404 it can out produce tree fiber at a 4 to 1 ratio. Tell him that Canada has recently allowed the cultivation of industrial hemp and will soon be exporting hemp products to the U.S. and that we should get our fair share of the hemp market. Include some hemp facts; e.g., biomass, paper, plastics, oils, solvents, food etc. Send copies to Feinstein, Boxer, and Riggs, also to Senate Ag Chair, Senator Richard Lugar, U.S. Senate, Washington D.C. 20510, House Ag Chair, Pat Roberts, U.S. House of Representatives and to Bill Clinton, The White House, Wash., D.C. 20510. SPEAK OUT NOW. The next chance is the year 2000.

CIA

There is a coffee shop in Amsterdam run by Americans called the CIA, Cannabis in Amsterdam. Their products are seeds, cannabis, clothing and knowledge.

I would like to borrow their idea and start our own branch of the CIA, Cannabis in America. After writing for the past year about the history and uses of hemp, I'm ready to start some action. With the cold winds of The Contract ON America blowing over us, we will need to think, look and sometimes act like Republicans to be taken seriously at all. Fortunately, the truth is on our side.

Hemp has the potential to generate large revenues and many jobs. As we all know money talks in America.

I would like to see the Mendocino Chapter of the CIA concentrate on industrial hemp. We would encourage both farming and the manufacturing of value-added products in order to generate jobs and keep the profits circulating in our local economy. If you are interested in becoming an agent of the CIA, write to me, c/o MEC. Include your ideas, convenient meeting times, a phone number or address. I especially want to encourage High School and College students to join us. We need your energy. HEMP FOR VICTORY!