June 30, 2009 -There has been a lot of discussion about marijuana in Japan recently. Some people have gone as far as to call it the start of a panic.

Research what happened in America a few decades ago when the powers that be came up against the same issue. Ever heard of “reefer madness”? It was a huge overreaction by American authorities toward young people smoking pot. That overreaction caused a great deal of suffering and burned vast amounts of tax money.

The weed panic has also created a big stumbling block for America’s economy at a time when “eco” is the word and industrial hemp is one of the paths to the future.

Japan is lagging behind China (which produces more than half of the world’s industrial hemp), Germany and France (who are partnering in the field of industrial hemp building materials) and Canada (which has possibly the largest market of hemp foods and edible oils, and where marijuana is used medicinally). Is Japan making government policy from an American history textbook, I wonder?

There are two main types of cannabis:

Cannabis sativa is industrial hemp, and contains only trace amounts of THC (the psychoactive compound found in some types of cannabis). The crop has been grown for thousands of years for its fiber, which was used in cloth and cordage, and its seeds, which make a healthy grain for humans and livestock. Nowadays the cellulose from the woody center of the tall plant can also be used to make plastic.

Cannabis indica is medicinal. This plant contains anywhere from 3 to 20 percent THC and is used to relieve pain by sufferers of conditions such as AIDS and terminal cancer. It has been and is still used in many countries as medicine.

There have been no reported deaths or permanent injuries sustained as a result of marijuana overdose anytime, anywhere. According to the United States government, a person would have to eat one-third of his or her body weight in dried cannabis indica with a 1-percent THC content, or nearly 10 pounds (4.5 kg) with a 5-percent THC content, to overdose. On the other hand, if a child eats just one regular cigarette it could be fatal. Two to three regular cigarettes if eaten could kill a healthy adult. A 45-kg adult would probably die if he or she drank 9 to 10 regular alcohol drinks in an hour. The heart would stop.

Let’s get back to Japan’s recent war on reefer. Japanese authorities are afraid of an escalation in recreational marijuana use that could eventually put Japan’s drug culture on par with that in the West. However, with current technology it is nearly impossible to smuggle in the amount of hard drugs needed to do real social damage. For a start, Japan only has sea borders, unlike the U.S., which has huge land borders both north and south. North and South America combined have such a large land mass that finding drug factories can be a real challenge. Japan, on the other hand, is fairly small, and it is unlikely that hard drug labs could operate here with any success.

Getting back to cannabis, perhaps the authorities should put down that American history book and pick up one on modern renewable resources and safer medicine. They can probably find them in abundance in Canada, Germany, France and China. If they did, they would find that cannabis is being used in any number of positive ways now. So why not relax the controls on cannabis and step up the farming of it like other developed countries? How about producing it in its natural low-dose plant form? If it is processed and sold as a recreational drug, taxed fairly and used moderately, it will create fewer negative health and social side-effects than alcohol and tobacco. Eating cannabis is actually good for your stomach.

Don’t worry, you capitalists out there that really run this small country — you will, as usual, get first dibs on this new industry, since you already have the capital and control the means of production. At the very least you mass producers could push something on the common person that is healthier than alcohol and tobacco.

So let’s make a new deal: We’ll take it easy on the reefer if you take it easy on the reefer madness, man.

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State Pressure to Grow Hemp Continues to Mount as Business Booms

June 30, 2009 – SALEM, Ore., — Yesterday, by a vote of 46 to 11, the Oregon House passed SB 676, a bill that permits production and possession of industrial hemp and trade in industrial hemp commodities and products. “I am glad that Oregon has joined the list of states that have agreed that American farmers should have the right to re-introduce industrial hemp as an agricultural crop,” says SB 676 sponsor, Sen. Floyd Prozanski. “By passing SB 676 with strong bi-partisan support, the Oregon Legislature has taken a proactive position to allow its farmers the right to grow industrial hemp, to provide American manufacturers with domestically-grown hemp, and to profit from that effort.” The Oregon Senate passed the bill by an overwhelming majority vote of 27 to 2 on June 19. Vote Hemp is optimistic that Governor Kulongoski will sign the bill. Oregon would become the ninth state to authorize regulated hemp farming under state law.

“The time has come for the federal government to act and allow farmers to once again grow hemp, so American companies will no longer need to import it and American farmers will no longer be denied a profitable new crop,” comments Vote Hemp President, Eric Steenstra. “Under current federal policy, industrial hemp can be imported, but it cannot be grown by American farmers. Hemp is a versatile, environmentally-friendly crop that has not been grown in the U.S. for over fifty years because of a misguided and politicized interpretation of the nation’s drug laws by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). While a new bill in Congress, HR 1866, is a welcome step, the hemp industry is hopeful that President Obama’s administration will recognize hemp’s myriad benefits to farmers, businesses and the environment,” adds Steenstra.

Many businesses in Oregon manufacture, market and sell hemp products, including Living Harvest, The Merry Hempsters, Wilderness Poets, Earthbound Creations, Sweetgrass Natural Fibers, Sympatico Clothing, Mama’s Herbal Soaps and Hempire. Living Harvest of Portland was recently ranked the third-fastest-growing company in Oregon, as awarded by The Portland Business Journal’s “Fastest-Growing Private 100 Companies” annual award.

“We are looking forward to the opportunity to invest in hemp processing and production locally,” says Hans Fastre, CEO of Living Harvest. “This bill represents another step towards heightening the hemp industry’s profile within mainstream America and making hemp products more accessible to businesses and consumers.”

These Oregon-based companies have been on the leading edge of the growing hemp food and body care markets, which are currently estimated to be $113 million in North American annual retail sales by the Hemp Industries Association (HIA). The HIA estimates the 2008 annual retail sales of all hemp products in North America to be about $360 million. By allowing U.S. farmers to once again grow hemp, legislators can clear the way for a “New Billion-Dollar Crop.”

On June 9, with little fanfare, Maine Governor John Baldacci signed the Maine hemp farming bill, LD 1159, into law. Maine’s House had previously passed the bill without objection, and the Senate later passed it by a strong vote of 25 to 10. The bill establishes a licensing regime for farming industrial hemp, although the licensing is contingent upon action by the federal government. Maine had previously passed a study bill that also defined industrial hemp.

During the 2009 legislative session, Montana, New Mexico, Vermont and North Dakota all passed resolutions or memorials urging Congress to allow states to regulate hemp farming. Sixteen states have passed pro-hemp legislation to date, and eight states (Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Montana, North Dakota, Vermont and West Virginia) have removed barriers to its production or research. North Dakota has even issued state licenses to would-be hemp farmers for two years running.

Vote Hemp is a national, single-issue, non-profit organization dedicated to the acceptance of and a free market for low-THC industrial hemp and to changes in current law to allow U.S. farmers to once again grow this agricultural crop. More information about hemp legislation and the crop’s many uses may be found at www.VoteHemp.com or www.HempIndustries.org.

BETA SP or DVD Video News Releases featuring footage of hemp farming in other countries are available upon request by contacting Adam Eidinger at 202-744-2671.

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