Industrial Hemp: Now that GM proposes over 100,000 layoffs (30%)...

...of its Michigan workforce during the next 12 months. The economic ripple effect could be more than 3 to 1 affecting over 400,000 households and the economic and financial lives of millions of people. We know now that the Bush administration can't be counted on to impliment any programs or actions that could deal with this economic tsunami. And, there is no national energy plan in effect which deals with energy alternatives, only one that enriches the big oil companies at the expense of consumers. So, how about pushing the movement to legalize industrial hemp in the U.S.?

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Basic Uses of Industrial Hemp: Food, Fuel, Fiber
by Mari Kane

Cannabis Hemp really can provide all the basic necessities of life: food, shelter, clothing and medicine. It has been said that "anything made from a hydrocarbon can be made from a carbohydrate." Hemp is the cousin of marijuana. They are from the same plant -Cannabis sativa L. There are over 1,000 strains of Cannabis Hemp bred for various uses. The term, "Hemp" refers to the industrial use of the stalk and seed. Cannabis or "marijuana" refers to the smoking or ingesting of the flowers and leaves.

Psychoactivity requires high levels of THC -TetraHydraCannibinol. Cannabis contains 5%-10% THC. Industrial hemp contains only .3%-1.5% THC, yet has a higher concentration of Cannabidiol, or CBD, which maintains an inverse relationship with THC and tends to moderate its effects.

The plant itself is easy to grow in temperate as well as tropical climates, and requires the usual amount of fertilizer and water, but no pesticides nor herbicides. A hemp crop is usually harvested in 100-120 days after reaching a height of 4-15 feet, depending on the variety. At that point one can make it into whatever suits their needs.

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FUEL
Hemp biomass as a source of fuel is the most under-exploited use of hemp, due to the fact that is economically unfeasible at this time. Hemp stalks can be used in the generation of energy through a process called 'chemurgy" which is a cross between chemicals and energy. The hemp stalk can be converted to a charcoal-like substance through a process called pyrolysis, and used for power generation and to produce industrial feed stocks. Auto giant Henry Ford was a pioneer in the pyrolysis process, and operated a biomass pyrolytic plant at Iron Mountain in Northern Michigan.

Hemp as an auto fuel is another potential use. Almost any biomass material can be converted to create methanol or ethanol, and these fuels burn cleanly with less carbon monoxide and higher octane. In fact, the diesel engine was invented to burn fuel from agricultural waste yet ended up burning unrefined petroleum. Hempseed oil can also be refined to produce a type of hemp biofuel. Woody Harrelson just toured with a diesel bus run on hemp biofuel, and a hempcar is touring this summer, demonstrating the environmental benefits of biofuels.

Sources:

The Hemp Industries Association. http://hempindustries.org

Nutritional/Medicinal Guide to Hemp Seed by Ken Jones. Rainforest Botanical Laboratories.

The Great Book of Hemp by Rowan Robinson. Inner Traditions International.

Hemp: Lifeline to the Future and Hemp for Health by Chris Conrad. Creative Xpressions.

Hemp Today edited by Ed Rosenthal. Quick American.

Journal of the International Hemp Association. International Hemp Association.

HempWorld -The International Hemp Journal.
Updated from Hemp Pages 1997. Published by Mari Kane.

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<links>

http://www.thehia.org/faqs/faq7.htm

http://www.fuelandfiber.com/Hemp4NRG/Hemp4NRG.htm

http://www.votehemp.com/hemp_is_hip.html

http://www.nnfcc.co.uk/products/fibre/findex.cfm

And, from Montana State University professors, this article:

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Perhaps the most exciting use of hemp is in the production of biofuels, the diesel and gasoline-like fuels made from hemp oil, vegetable oil or animal fats. Once again, this is not new technology. In 1895 Dr. Rudolf Diesel invented the first peanut oil powered diesel engine and Henry Ford strongly supported using ethanol made from American grown oilseed crops, such as hemp. Wood paper and petroleum based fuels and plastics came to dominate the markets, but relatively recent concerns of smog, acid rain, health problems and dependence on foreign oil have revived thoughts of hemp's many benefits. And there are numerous advantages to hemp-derived biofuels for both gasoline and diesel engines. The following list deals with a specific biofuel called biodiesel.

Biodiesel is the only alternative fuel that runs in any conventional, unmodified diesel engine. Its use can extend the life of diesel engines, because it is more lubricating than petroleum diesel fuel. Fuel consumption, auto ignition, power output and engine torque are relatively unaffected by biodiesel and it is a proven fuel with over 30 million successful US road miles and over 20 years of use in Europe.

It can be stored anywhere that petroleum diesel fuel is stored. Biodiesel is as biodegradable as sugar, 10 times less toxic than table salt and has a high flashpoint of about 300 degrees Fahrenheit compared to petroleum diesel fuel, which has a flash point of 125 degrees F.

When burned in a diesel engine, biodiesel replaces the exhaust odor of petroleum diesel with a smell something akin to french fries. Biodiesel is 11 percent oxygen by weight and contains no sulfur, so instead of creating sulfur-based smog and acid rain as by-products, it produces oxygen instead. Biodiesel can be made from domestically produced, renewable oilseed crops such as hemp.
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<link> http://www.montana.edu/wwwpb/ag/baudr318.html

http://www.tinroofvideo.com/

I have been lobbying since 1991.
Slow but steady progress is being made.
Buy that video, watch it, and spread the news!!

...based on extractive industry won't work. It simply won't employ significant numbers at home.

Agriculture on the scale proposed -- it'll be mechanized, and employ a relative handful, or if the labor is such that it can't be mechanized, it'll go overseas where the labor is cheap.

Happened with cotton -- no reason why it wouldn't happen with hemp.

Cotton is no where near as diversified in it's usages.
Apples and oranges.

These are very good paying jobs.These people will not be able to replace this income.If GM goes through with this it would be a disaster!It could be just a ploy to get the union back to the table to reopen the contract.I hope that's what it is.I lost a great paying job 4 years ago and I'm still trying to get back to even.