SOURCE:
http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2011/10/medical_marijuana_seed_to_sale.php
In August, the Medical Marijuana Enforcement Division awarded a $1.5 million contract to Franwell Inc. to institute a seed-to-sale marijuana tracking method for Colorado MMJ enterprises using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. And while the system isn't expected to be in place until early 2012, at least one advocate is raising alarm about expense and the possible creation of new crimes. Should operators be worried?
According to a Franwell release about the Colorado contract, "RFID tracking of marijuana will capture information on the approved 6 plants allowed per patient, each stage of plant growth, distribution and final sale. Whether a patient requires smokeable product or marijuana infused products (MIP) such as ice cream or salsa, RFID will track that patient's product and allowance in accordance with state regulations."
READ MORE: http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2011/10/medical_marijuana_seed_to_sale.php
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Friday, October 21, 2011
Why We Must Ban GM Cannabis
SOURCE:
http://www.celebstoner.com/201110218771/blogs/misc/why-we-must-ban-gm-cannabis.html
Why We Must Ban GM Cannabis
By David Malmo-Levine
For those who pay attention to the history of medicine, it is clear that cannabis has been one of the major raw materials - if not THE major raw material - and one of the major medicines - if not THE major medicine - of humanity.
And for those who pay attention to the history of cannabis economics, it is clear that throughout human history there has always been a small minority of people who attempt to justify exclusive distribution rights of this raw material and medicine.
The latest version of this attempt is genetically modified cannabis. “Genetic modification” - also called “GM," "genetically modified organisms," “GMO” and "transgenic" - is a process by which genes from one living thing are spliced together with another, in a manner that nature would not allow to occur on its own – as opposed to “breeding," which is speeding up a natural selection process with human selection but still limited to what could possibly happen over time in nature.
There is no consensus in the scientific community that genetically modifying a plant helps farmers increase their yield in any way or that GM crops are safe for human consumption or environmentally friendly or pose no threat to global food security, but nearly everyone agrees that it does allow a monopoly on the selling of that particular seed, allows the producers to justify a patent, and allows those who hold the patent to sue those who grow the plants without paying for the seeds - even if the GM pollen drifted onto the field of the farmer in question.
Up here in Canada we’ve seen how a farmer’s rights to collect and replant their own seed has been totally destroyed by the courts, who sided with Monsanto. Take the highly publicized case or Percy Schmeiser, a farmer from Bruno, Saskatchewan who specializes in breeding and growing canola. He became an international symbol and spokesperson for independent farmers' rights and the regulation of transgenic crops during his protracted legal battle with Monsanto Company. He was the subject of the 1999 film, David Versus Monsanto.
In 1997, Monsanto's genetically modified Roundup Ready Canola plants were found in Schmeiser's field. Before planting his 1998 crop, Schmeiser was informed that Monsanto believed he had grown Roundup Ready canola in 1997. In the summer of 1998, the canola in Schmeiser's fields was found to be Roundup Ready canola. Monsanto subsequenty sued Schmeiser for patent infringement. Ultimately, a Supreme Court 5-4 ruling found in favor of Monsanto - that their patent was valid and there was infringement. The publicity around the case focused on whether Monsanto would be held responsible for “genetic engineering crop contamination." This issue was, not considered by the courts. The patent infringement finding was based solely on the determination that Schmeiser had recognized the cross-contamination, and knowingly went on to collect the crossbred seed, then replant and harvest it the next year. No punitive damages or the costs of the technology use fee were awarded to Monsanto, as the Supreme Court also ruled 9-0 in Schmeiser's favor that his profits were exactly the same with or without the presence of the Roundup Ready Canola.”
Schmeiser said of his battle with Monsanto: "Farmers should be concerned about this judgment as they now may lose their ability to continue with this practice. I believe that this ruling is an injustice and Parliament must act to ensure that farmers' rights are protected. The playing field between farmer rights and the bio-tech companies rights has been tilted towards the companies with this decision."
Monsanto introduced GM crops to the United States back in 1996. The largest share by far of the GMO crops planted globally are owned by Monsanto, which holds at least 70% market share for most major GM crop seeds.
The first mention of the possibility of cannabis being genetically modified I could find was cited in a document leaked to Cannabis Culture back in 2000, which read in part: "Cannabis seeds from Monsanto are almost definitely genetically engineered. Genetically engineered plants can be patented, and it is in Monsanto's best interest to hold a patent on any seed they sell. Seed patents ensure that companies like Monsanto can continue to profit from seeds from year to year, as farmers are legally bound to buy patented seeds from the patent holder rather than simply store them from the last year's crop.”
The Repeal Cannabis Prohibition Act of 2012 does not ban GM cannabis, but rather one of its stated goals is to “make cannabis available for scientific, medical, industrial,and research purposes."
The Regulate Marijuana Like Wine Act of 2012 (RMLW) will ban GM cannabis completely. Read the wording closely and see if you can find any wiggle room that would allow any corporation to grow GM cannabis:
“Experimentation, development, research, testing, cultivation, sales or possession of genetically-modified (GMO) marijuana, hemp and its seeds shall be banned throughout the state of California.”
Once it is in place, it will take another initiative to "unban" GM cannabis in California, and such an “unbanning” would be unlikely to appeal to voters.
It is vitally important that RMLW passes to: 1) prevent Monsanto from taking over the cannabis industry in the same way they’ve taken over many other crops (and perhaps hold the human race hostage by controlling the entire food supply); 2) maintain the genetic integrity of the plant; 3) protect the cannabis farmer from artificial dependence (not to mention the destruction of their livelihood); 4) prevent a “Roundup Ready” version of cannabis being developed that will allow even more massive amounts of herbicides to kill the soil microbes and poison the consumers of hemp seed; 5) decrease the quality and the yield of cannabis products, not least of which being the medicinal constituents; and 6) set a good example for other U.S. states and other countries to follow.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
For those who would like to learn more about genetic modification, I suggest checking out the films, The World According to Monsanto and The Corporation - it's as a good crash-course introduction about GM. When watching the GM segments of each film, try and picture what would happen to the cannabis farmer and the cannabis consumer if it was them - and not the soy or corn or rice farmer or consumer - suffering from the scourge of GM.
The RMLW petition drive begins Nov. 1. If you'd like to help out, please contact us here: http://regulatemarijuanalikewine.com/contact/
David Malmo-Levine is one of the authors of RMLW and is a longtime contributor to Cannabis Culture
http://www.celebstoner.com/201110218771/blogs/misc/why-we-must-ban-gm-cannabis.html
Why We Must Ban GM Cannabis
By David Malmo-Levine
For those who pay attention to the history of medicine, it is clear that cannabis has been one of the major raw materials - if not THE major raw material - and one of the major medicines - if not THE major medicine - of humanity.
And for those who pay attention to the history of cannabis economics, it is clear that throughout human history there has always been a small minority of people who attempt to justify exclusive distribution rights of this raw material and medicine.
The latest version of this attempt is genetically modified cannabis. “Genetic modification” - also called “GM," "genetically modified organisms," “GMO” and "transgenic" - is a process by which genes from one living thing are spliced together with another, in a manner that nature would not allow to occur on its own – as opposed to “breeding," which is speeding up a natural selection process with human selection but still limited to what could possibly happen over time in nature.
There is no consensus in the scientific community that genetically modifying a plant helps farmers increase their yield in any way or that GM crops are safe for human consumption or environmentally friendly or pose no threat to global food security, but nearly everyone agrees that it does allow a monopoly on the selling of that particular seed, allows the producers to justify a patent, and allows those who hold the patent to sue those who grow the plants without paying for the seeds - even if the GM pollen drifted onto the field of the farmer in question.
Up here in Canada we’ve seen how a farmer’s rights to collect and replant their own seed has been totally destroyed by the courts, who sided with Monsanto. Take the highly publicized case or Percy Schmeiser, a farmer from Bruno, Saskatchewan who specializes in breeding and growing canola. He became an international symbol and spokesperson for independent farmers' rights and the regulation of transgenic crops during his protracted legal battle with Monsanto Company. He was the subject of the 1999 film, David Versus Monsanto.
In 1997, Monsanto's genetically modified Roundup Ready Canola plants were found in Schmeiser's field. Before planting his 1998 crop, Schmeiser was informed that Monsanto believed he had grown Roundup Ready canola in 1997. In the summer of 1998, the canola in Schmeiser's fields was found to be Roundup Ready canola. Monsanto subsequenty sued Schmeiser for patent infringement. Ultimately, a Supreme Court 5-4 ruling found in favor of Monsanto - that their patent was valid and there was infringement. The publicity around the case focused on whether Monsanto would be held responsible for “genetic engineering crop contamination." This issue was, not considered by the courts. The patent infringement finding was based solely on the determination that Schmeiser had recognized the cross-contamination, and knowingly went on to collect the crossbred seed, then replant and harvest it the next year. No punitive damages or the costs of the technology use fee were awarded to Monsanto, as the Supreme Court also ruled 9-0 in Schmeiser's favor that his profits were exactly the same with or without the presence of the Roundup Ready Canola.”
Schmeiser said of his battle with Monsanto: "Farmers should be concerned about this judgment as they now may lose their ability to continue with this practice. I believe that this ruling is an injustice and Parliament must act to ensure that farmers' rights are protected. The playing field between farmer rights and the bio-tech companies rights has been tilted towards the companies with this decision."
Monsanto introduced GM crops to the United States back in 1996. The largest share by far of the GMO crops planted globally are owned by Monsanto, which holds at least 70% market share for most major GM crop seeds.
The first mention of the possibility of cannabis being genetically modified I could find was cited in a document leaked to Cannabis Culture back in 2000, which read in part: "Cannabis seeds from Monsanto are almost definitely genetically engineered. Genetically engineered plants can be patented, and it is in Monsanto's best interest to hold a patent on any seed they sell. Seed patents ensure that companies like Monsanto can continue to profit from seeds from year to year, as farmers are legally bound to buy patented seeds from the patent holder rather than simply store them from the last year's crop.”
The Repeal Cannabis Prohibition Act of 2012 does not ban GM cannabis, but rather one of its stated goals is to “make cannabis available for scientific, medical, industrial,and research purposes."
The Regulate Marijuana Like Wine Act of 2012 (RMLW) will ban GM cannabis completely. Read the wording closely and see if you can find any wiggle room that would allow any corporation to grow GM cannabis:
“Experimentation, development, research, testing, cultivation, sales or possession of genetically-modified (GMO) marijuana, hemp and its seeds shall be banned throughout the state of California.”
Once it is in place, it will take another initiative to "unban" GM cannabis in California, and such an “unbanning” would be unlikely to appeal to voters.
It is vitally important that RMLW passes to: 1) prevent Monsanto from taking over the cannabis industry in the same way they’ve taken over many other crops (and perhaps hold the human race hostage by controlling the entire food supply); 2) maintain the genetic integrity of the plant; 3) protect the cannabis farmer from artificial dependence (not to mention the destruction of their livelihood); 4) prevent a “Roundup Ready” version of cannabis being developed that will allow even more massive amounts of herbicides to kill the soil microbes and poison the consumers of hemp seed; 5) decrease the quality and the yield of cannabis products, not least of which being the medicinal constituents; and 6) set a good example for other U.S. states and other countries to follow.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
For those who would like to learn more about genetic modification, I suggest checking out the films, The World According to Monsanto and The Corporation - it's as a good crash-course introduction about GM. When watching the GM segments of each film, try and picture what would happen to the cannabis farmer and the cannabis consumer if it was them - and not the soy or corn or rice farmer or consumer - suffering from the scourge of GM.
The RMLW petition drive begins Nov. 1. If you'd like to help out, please contact us here: http://regulatemarijuanalikewine.com/contact/
David Malmo-Levine is one of the authors of RMLW and is a longtime contributor to Cannabis Culture
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
"World's Most Useful Plant" Cannabis Targeted for GMO Bug Attack
"World's Most Useful Plant" Marijuana Targeted for Biological Bug Attack
July 24th 2004
SOURCE: http://www.onlinepot.org/medical/bugattack.htm
MORE INFO: http://ghostchild.org/a/agent-green-bio-agent_post827.html
An OnlinePot News Report Exclusive!
OK folks now for the Bad News they have All Ready Field Tested These Insects!
About 10 months ago a Grower in Hawaii Emailed me reporting that the
Night before. 2 Government Huey Choppers had hovered low over his marijuana
crop & Began dropping some unknown insects onto his crop, By the time daylight
had come every bud on his marijuana plants had been chewed OFF the stocks & were
laying on the ground! At the Time all I could do was pass the word to a friend who is a
Reverend from the AAMC email list who lives in Hawaii, to look out & ask around the
other growers. Well 10 months later we all now know the answers to what really
went on that dark Hawaiian night,
Genetically Engineered Insect Attack
& What Happens If These Bugs Mutate
& Decide To Start Eating More Then Just Pot Plants?
A Dark Day For All Plant Kind
Chris K. Webmaster
Paul J. von Hartmann
Project P.E.A.C.E.
Planet Ecology Advancing Conscious Economics
FOR RELEASE: June 10, 2004
U.S. Congress Heads Up ARS Project:
"World's Most Useful Plant" Targeted for Biological Attack
Even as medical 'marijuana' patients and the hemp foods industry are
racking up Supreme Court victories against the U.S. Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA); even as Canadian and European
farmers are cranking up Cannabis production to keep pace with public
demand for industrial hemp oils, resins, fiber and cellulose; even as Cannabis
is being recognized as being "the world's most useful plant," researchers at U.C.
Davis are indulging in "Reefer Madness," preparing to
infest North America with insect pest species from Eurasia.
Since 1999 the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Research Service (ARS)
has been preparing to attack the 'marijuana' plant, targeted for "classic biological control"
in 2005. "Secure facilities" have already been built in California, where scientists
will grow 'marijuana' in order to study the eating habits of various Eurasian agricultural pests.
According to the ARS annual report for 2003, "The problem is quite
serious as marijuana is a controlled substance in the United States and is often grown and sold
illegally. It is relevant to local and national law enforcement agencies and was initiated through
Congressional mandate." The Department of Agriculture's report continues, "Research was initiated
on this project at the request of Congress and the State Department to identify new biologically
based methods of controlling marijuana. Cooperating foreign institutions in Italy, Russia,
China and Kazakhstan conducted both field and literature surveys for natural enemies of
Cannabis sativa and selected two primary candidates, Psylliodes attenuata (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)
and Cardipennis rubripes (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) to begin further host-specificity
and biology research on."
According to the ARS report, "walk-in plant growth chambers" were constructed
at Davis last year, that "allow 'marijuana' to be grown under secure conditions and
used in quarantine." DEA certification was expected to occur in the fall of 2004. "These plants
will be used in the final stages of testing for the effectiveness and environmental safety of
selected biological control agents. This should lead to the availability of new biological control
agents for this narcotic plant." [sic]*
Faced with such monumental conflict of reason, and accelerating deterioration
of our environment, at some point people must ask themselves several questions.
First, it seems imperative to question the underlying motivations of a drug policy
that, after almost seventy years, has had only tragic, counter-productive results for the Earth's
environment, human economics and social evolution. Creation of a black market economy
is the most obvious and predictable result of any prohibition. "Forbidden fruit" is always
more expensive, leading inevitably to violence and corruption of police and politicians.
When a critical agricultural resource is prohibited for three generations, the destructive
illusion of a "free market economy" is even more dangerous, insidious and persistent. Industries
that would otherwise succumb to the laws of fair economic competition, have become
institutionalized, dominating the evolution of human values. Our generation is approaching the
end of that dead end road, fighting for limited energy resources when we could have been farming
biofuels all along. By devaluating the most useful and potentially abundant organic agricultural
resource on the planet, and inducing a prolonged condition of essential resource scarcity,
mankind has been diverted from a course of sustainable energy development. After three
generations of Cannabis prohibition, degenerative, anti-natural imbalances in economics have
steered a toxic course for our social and political structures as well. Teetering precariously
on the edge of synergistic collapse, the very real possibility of extinction looms in our foreseeable,
predictably tragic future.
The absence of balancing influence, inherent to a free market, has institutionalized anti-natural values to
desperate extremes. Such mad science as is happening at Davis, being directed against humankind's best
hope for sustainability, is clearly agricultural espionage carried out by a chemically vested government,
subverting the best interests of its own people. Unsustainable values, combined with the unpredictable
instability of atmospheric carbon imbalance, are no longer theory, capable of being characterized as
"gloom and doom" scenarios. Scientists agree that global warming is a real and present danger, even if
political front men for toxic industries would have us believe otherwise, in the interest of protecting
the short-term bottom line. Corporate influence of political leadership, the economics of punishment
at home and abroad, and the market dynamics of chemical industrial food and fuel production, has
engendered corruption blurring the lines between industry and government.
At U.C. Davis, government science is being employed by hemp's economic
competitors to strengthen the advantage that chemical industry already enjoys,
over agricultural solutions and common sense. As conditions of imbalance increase
it is critical to assess the impact that corporate/political hybridization is having in
perpetuating a self-serving prohibition.
After decades of conclusive studies and clinical reports in many countries,
identifying Cannabis as "the safest therapeutically active substance known to man," which
holds considerable benefits for mankind, it is inevitable to conclude that government health concerns
used to justify prohibition are not to be taken seriously. In fact, considering all available credible science,
it is obvious that prohibition only serves to increase profits for multi-national corporations
protecting chemical-industrial interests against competition from agriculturally-
based industries.
It is common knowledge that there are many substances approved by the
U.S. government, that are much more dangerous to people's health than 'marijuana.' Alcohol and
tobacco are America's primary recreational drugs, far more lethal and addictive to both users
and non-users than 'marijuana.' Chemical pharmaceuticals and even some foods that are
commonly consumed with deadly result are readily available to people who choose to assume the risks
associated with them. Even peanuts can kill. Obviously, realistic concerns for public health and
safety have nothing whatever to do with 'marijuana' prohibition.
Cannabis prohibition is clearly motivated by industries concerned with the plant's potential to
compete in a truly "free market" economy. More than ever it is essential to understanding which
industries and corporations currently control the present "un-free market," exercising
disproportionate economic influence, usurping control of the American government, leads to more
questions.
The petroleum industry and the pharmaceutical industry are two of the
most obvious competitors. Americans pay the highest drug prices in the world. Annual spending
for pharmaceuticals, is up to $250 billion, doubling every five years. More than 120,000 people
die every year in the U.S., from "legal drugs" taken in accordance with their doctor's prescription.
Virtually everything that is being made from petroleum hydrocarbons, can be made better,
cheaper, and with less pollution using Cannabis, a carbohydrate.
Less obvious, but equally powerful are the soybean industry with interests
tied to biotech and chemicals for agricultural. Monsanto controls more than 80% of the
biotech industry, and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pfizer pharmaceutical. These are the economic
forces driving prohibition, through political influence and lobbying groups such as
Partnership for a Drug Free America.
It's no secret that America's second generation oil president is the petroleum & pharmaceutical
industry's favorite son. The CEO of Pfizer donated $200,000 to Bush's campaign this year. Other
blatant examples, of government officials serving billions of dollars worth of prohibitionist
interests on behalf of chemically-dependent industries, abound. In America's present
administration there are no fewer than six top ranking officials, directly associated with
Monsanto, including the Supreme Court Judge who put GW Bush in office (Clarence Thomas), the
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture (Anne Veneman), the Secretary of Defense (Donald Rumsfeld), the
U.S. Secretary of Health (Tommy Thompson), Chairman of the House Agricultural
Committee (Larry Combest) and Attorney General John Ashcroft.
"The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), a coalition of militant peasant groups, has called
for a boycott of Monsanto products. KMP is attempting to block the use of the genetically
modified YieldGard Bt-corn and is protesting Monsanto's interests in the United States-led war
on Iraq. Rafael Mariano, KMP chair, said the program boycott on Monsanto products is part of a
civil disobedience campaign to protest against US industry's attacks on the Iraqi people. "The
US military campaign to topple the Iraqi leadership was for the benefit of US war industries
like the US-based Monsanto, the proponent of the genetically engineered Bt-corn in the country
and manufacturer of Agent Orange...Monsanto is no less than a war industry,
" Mariano said.
Mariano further stated that it was a "clear mockery" that US President
Bush launched the strike on Iraq under the pretext of disarming it of its weapons of mass destruction,
because the US itself is the primary producer of weapons of mass destruction. The forest products industry
is another cash cow tied to chemical production. Recent estimates put the potential market for hemp paper
at between $15 to $30 billion a year worldwide. About 20 paper mills around the world use hemp fiber,
with an estimated annual world production volume of 120,000 tons. This represents about .05 percent of
all paper. India and China dominate this potentially vast market. In the U.S., the "green" paper industry
(including recycled and natural fibers) accounts for about $20 million in a $230 billion industry.
Expanded use of agricultural crops and other tree-free materials for paper would not only spare
trees but would also produce paper with minimal environmental impact from the chemicals used to
manufacture paper. In the U.S., hemp food products are a small but fast-growing sector of the
natural foods industry, with annual sales of about $5 million. Canadian farmers seeded 3,800
acres of hemp in 2002 and harvested about two million pounds of the crop. In 1994, President Clinton
signed Executive Order 12919, specifically identifying hemp as a "strategic food resource" subject to
"essential civilian demand." Consider that the nutritional value of Cannabis seed makes hemp the most
nutritious and healing food on Earth. This is an inarguable fact, since Cannabis is the only common seed
with three essential fatty acids (EFAs) in proper proportion for long-term consumption.
Cannabis seed is also the best available source of organic protein on the planet. Consider that
neither the U.S. government, nor the United Nations, has any research projects, anywhere in the
world, where Cannabis is being considered as a source of vegetable protein. Even in countries
where it is perfectly legal to grow Cannabis, (even subsidized by the European Union in some
places), there are no U.N. Food & Agriculture investigations being carried out. Not one.
Instead of growing organic Cannabis, humankind is growing soybeans for protein. This is a relatively poor choice, since there are several good reasons not to eat soybean, unless it is properly fermented. Also, from an agricultural perspective, soybean is much more difficult to grow than Cannabis, requiring substantial chemical application to suppress competition from weeds. Cannabis naturally defends itself against most insect pests, and crowds out competition from most weeds.
This and many other beneficial agricultural characteristics make Cannabis an excellent rotational crop, useful as a companion plant to help with cultivation of other crops, re-mineralization of nutrient-depleted soils, for preventing soil erosion, as a seasonal windbreak, and to break up compacted soils.Cannabis is such a valuable plant, capable of producing so many products, that it may not be possible for mankind to achieve sustainable existence on this planet without it. Certainly, without hemp the United States of America as we know it would not exist. As most people know by now, all of the founding fathers of this country were hemp farmers, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Alexander Hamilton.
"Make the most of the hemp seed and sow it everywhere." --George Washington
(1794)
"We shall....want a world of hemp more for our own personal consumption."
- --John Adams (1783)
"Hemp is of first necessity....to the wealth and protection of the
country." --Thomas Jefferson
(1791)**
"Hemp is an article of importance enough to warrant the employment
of extraordinary means in its
favor."--Alexander Hamilton (1791)
Cannabis is capable of producing more food, fuel, medicines, fiber, cellulose, and resins
organically, sustain ably than any other plant on Earth. Not only is it imperative to stop the
waste of money and obviate the destructive impact of the research being done at U.C. Davis, it
is as important to ask why this research has been allowed to continue for five years, in light
of what is common knowledge about this critically important agricultural resource.
Such obvious abominations as the importation of invasive insect species from one continent to another, serve to make the absurdity and economic motivations of prohibition that much more blatant. As nothing else could, this plan to self-inflict a bio-terrorist attack on the world's best hope for sustainable agriculturally-based industry, should finally wake up America to the sinister character of corrupt economic forces that are running our government. Unless people recognize (before the election) the insidious
predation of impacted economic forces, perverting the human economic structure, treasonous influences
imbedded within our political fabric will continue to impose essential resource scarcity, capitalize on, and
exaggerate the imbalances which result from it.
Walt Kelly is as right as he ever-loving' was, "We have met the enemy and he is us."
* Note: While Cannabis can be "psychoactive" it is non-narcotic.
** Thomas Jefferson even smuggled hemp seeds into the U.S. from China.
#
Paul von Hartmann is an international freelance photojournalist, Cannabis
scholar, and Natural rights activist. This essay may also be found posted at the P.E.A.C.E.
blog entitled "Cannabis and Iraq: Why Prohibition Leads to War" http://cannabiswars.blogspot.com/
Thursday, June 10, 2004
Paul J. von Hartmann
Project P.E.A.C.E. Planet Ecology Advancing Conscious Economics
http://www.webspawner.com/users/projectpeace/
Contact: e-mail: projectpeace@yahoo.com
(c) PvH 2004
1. Research Project: Classical Biological Control of Narcotic Plants
http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/projects/projects.htm?ACCN_NO=402468&showpars=true&fy=2003
2.Medpot stars give for patients http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/2569.html
3.Study Shows Therapeutic Benefits, No Adverse Effects in Long-Term
Marijuana Users
http://www.infoimagination.org/ps/drug_war/articles/mj_study.html
4. War foes urge boycott of US products http://www.geocities.com/kmp_ph/strug/032403.html
5. Asia Farm & Consumer Groups Denounce UN FAO Support for GMOs
http://www.organicconsumers.org/ge/asia052404.cfm
6. Big Biotech Silencing Critics of Pesticides & GE Crops
http://www.organicconsumers.org/ge/bigbiotech060304.cfm
7. Organic Consumers Association Campaigning for Food Safety, Organic
Agriculture, Fair Trade &
Sustainability Millions Against Monsanto If you're talking about PCBs,
Agent Orange, Bovine
Growth Hormone, water privatization, biopiracy, untested/unlabeled
genetically engineered
organisms, or persecuting small family farmers, you're talking about
the Monsanto Corporation.
Monsanto's Government Ties http://www.organicconsumers.org/monlink.html
8. Scientists Demand Action on Invasive Species: National Environmental
Coalition on Invasive
Species (NECIS) issued a "Call To Action on Invasive Species."
http://www.ucsusa.org/global_environment/invasive_species/page.cfm?pageID=1275
July 24th 2004
SOURCE: http://www.onlinepot.org/medical/bugattack.htm
MORE INFO: http://ghostchild.org/a/agent-green-bio-agent_post827.html
An OnlinePot News Report Exclusive!
OK folks now for the Bad News they have All Ready Field Tested These Insects!
About 10 months ago a Grower in Hawaii Emailed me reporting that the
Night before. 2 Government Huey Choppers had hovered low over his marijuana
crop & Began dropping some unknown insects onto his crop, By the time daylight
had come every bud on his marijuana plants had been chewed OFF the stocks & were
laying on the ground! At the Time all I could do was pass the word to a friend who is a
Reverend from the AAMC email list who lives in Hawaii, to look out & ask around the
other growers. Well 10 months later we all now know the answers to what really
went on that dark Hawaiian night,
Genetically Engineered Insect Attack
& What Happens If These Bugs Mutate
& Decide To Start Eating More Then Just Pot Plants?
A Dark Day For All Plant Kind
Chris K. Webmaster
Paul J. von Hartmann
Project P.E.A.C.E.
Planet Ecology Advancing Conscious Economics
FOR RELEASE: June 10, 2004
U.S. Congress Heads Up ARS Project:
"World's Most Useful Plant" Targeted for Biological Attack
Even as medical 'marijuana' patients and the hemp foods industry are
racking up Supreme Court victories against the U.S. Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA); even as Canadian and European
farmers are cranking up Cannabis production to keep pace with public
demand for industrial hemp oils, resins, fiber and cellulose; even as Cannabis
is being recognized as being "the world's most useful plant," researchers at U.C.
Davis are indulging in "Reefer Madness," preparing to
infest North America with insect pest species from Eurasia.
Since 1999 the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Research Service (ARS)
has been preparing to attack the 'marijuana' plant, targeted for "classic biological control"
in 2005. "Secure facilities" have already been built in California, where scientists
will grow 'marijuana' in order to study the eating habits of various Eurasian agricultural pests.
According to the ARS annual report for 2003, "The problem is quite
serious as marijuana is a controlled substance in the United States and is often grown and sold
illegally. It is relevant to local and national law enforcement agencies and was initiated through
Congressional mandate." The Department of Agriculture's report continues, "Research was initiated
on this project at the request of Congress and the State Department to identify new biologically
based methods of controlling marijuana. Cooperating foreign institutions in Italy, Russia,
China and Kazakhstan conducted both field and literature surveys for natural enemies of
Cannabis sativa and selected two primary candidates, Psylliodes attenuata (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)
and Cardipennis rubripes (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) to begin further host-specificity
and biology research on."
According to the ARS report, "walk-in plant growth chambers" were constructed
at Davis last year, that "allow 'marijuana' to be grown under secure conditions and
used in quarantine." DEA certification was expected to occur in the fall of 2004. "These plants
will be used in the final stages of testing for the effectiveness and environmental safety of
selected biological control agents. This should lead to the availability of new biological control
agents for this narcotic plant." [sic]*
Faced with such monumental conflict of reason, and accelerating deterioration
of our environment, at some point people must ask themselves several questions.
First, it seems imperative to question the underlying motivations of a drug policy
that, after almost seventy years, has had only tragic, counter-productive results for the Earth's
environment, human economics and social evolution. Creation of a black market economy
is the most obvious and predictable result of any prohibition. "Forbidden fruit" is always
more expensive, leading inevitably to violence and corruption of police and politicians.
When a critical agricultural resource is prohibited for three generations, the destructive
illusion of a "free market economy" is even more dangerous, insidious and persistent. Industries
that would otherwise succumb to the laws of fair economic competition, have become
institutionalized, dominating the evolution of human values. Our generation is approaching the
end of that dead end road, fighting for limited energy resources when we could have been farming
biofuels all along. By devaluating the most useful and potentially abundant organic agricultural
resource on the planet, and inducing a prolonged condition of essential resource scarcity,
mankind has been diverted from a course of sustainable energy development. After three
generations of Cannabis prohibition, degenerative, anti-natural imbalances in economics have
steered a toxic course for our social and political structures as well. Teetering precariously
on the edge of synergistic collapse, the very real possibility of extinction looms in our foreseeable,
predictably tragic future.
The absence of balancing influence, inherent to a free market, has institutionalized anti-natural values to
desperate extremes. Such mad science as is happening at Davis, being directed against humankind's best
hope for sustainability, is clearly agricultural espionage carried out by a chemically vested government,
subverting the best interests of its own people. Unsustainable values, combined with the unpredictable
instability of atmospheric carbon imbalance, are no longer theory, capable of being characterized as
"gloom and doom" scenarios. Scientists agree that global warming is a real and present danger, even if
political front men for toxic industries would have us believe otherwise, in the interest of protecting
the short-term bottom line. Corporate influence of political leadership, the economics of punishment
at home and abroad, and the market dynamics of chemical industrial food and fuel production, has
engendered corruption blurring the lines between industry and government.
At U.C. Davis, government science is being employed by hemp's economic
competitors to strengthen the advantage that chemical industry already enjoys,
over agricultural solutions and common sense. As conditions of imbalance increase
it is critical to assess the impact that corporate/political hybridization is having in
perpetuating a self-serving prohibition.
After decades of conclusive studies and clinical reports in many countries,
identifying Cannabis as "the safest therapeutically active substance known to man," which
holds considerable benefits for mankind, it is inevitable to conclude that government health concerns
used to justify prohibition are not to be taken seriously. In fact, considering all available credible science,
it is obvious that prohibition only serves to increase profits for multi-national corporations
protecting chemical-industrial interests against competition from agriculturally-
based industries.
It is common knowledge that there are many substances approved by the
U.S. government, that are much more dangerous to people's health than 'marijuana.' Alcohol and
tobacco are America's primary recreational drugs, far more lethal and addictive to both users
and non-users than 'marijuana.' Chemical pharmaceuticals and even some foods that are
commonly consumed with deadly result are readily available to people who choose to assume the risks
associated with them. Even peanuts can kill. Obviously, realistic concerns for public health and
safety have nothing whatever to do with 'marijuana' prohibition.
Cannabis prohibition is clearly motivated by industries concerned with the plant's potential to
compete in a truly "free market" economy. More than ever it is essential to understanding which
industries and corporations currently control the present "un-free market," exercising
disproportionate economic influence, usurping control of the American government, leads to more
questions.
The petroleum industry and the pharmaceutical industry are two of the
most obvious competitors. Americans pay the highest drug prices in the world. Annual spending
for pharmaceuticals, is up to $250 billion, doubling every five years. More than 120,000 people
die every year in the U.S., from "legal drugs" taken in accordance with their doctor's prescription.
Virtually everything that is being made from petroleum hydrocarbons, can be made better,
cheaper, and with less pollution using Cannabis, a carbohydrate.
Less obvious, but equally powerful are the soybean industry with interests
tied to biotech and chemicals for agricultural. Monsanto controls more than 80% of the
biotech industry, and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pfizer pharmaceutical. These are the economic
forces driving prohibition, through political influence and lobbying groups such as
Partnership for a Drug Free America.
It's no secret that America's second generation oil president is the petroleum & pharmaceutical
industry's favorite son. The CEO of Pfizer donated $200,000 to Bush's campaign this year. Other
blatant examples, of government officials serving billions of dollars worth of prohibitionist
interests on behalf of chemically-dependent industries, abound. In America's present
administration there are no fewer than six top ranking officials, directly associated with
Monsanto, including the Supreme Court Judge who put GW Bush in office (Clarence Thomas), the
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture (Anne Veneman), the Secretary of Defense (Donald Rumsfeld), the
U.S. Secretary of Health (Tommy Thompson), Chairman of the House Agricultural
Committee (Larry Combest) and Attorney General John Ashcroft.
"The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), a coalition of militant peasant groups, has called
for a boycott of Monsanto products. KMP is attempting to block the use of the genetically
modified YieldGard Bt-corn and is protesting Monsanto's interests in the United States-led war
on Iraq. Rafael Mariano, KMP chair, said the program boycott on Monsanto products is part of a
civil disobedience campaign to protest against US industry's attacks on the Iraqi people. "The
US military campaign to topple the Iraqi leadership was for the benefit of US war industries
like the US-based Monsanto, the proponent of the genetically engineered Bt-corn in the country
and manufacturer of Agent Orange...Monsanto is no less than a war industry,
" Mariano said.
Mariano further stated that it was a "clear mockery" that US President
Bush launched the strike on Iraq under the pretext of disarming it of its weapons of mass destruction,
because the US itself is the primary producer of weapons of mass destruction. The forest products industry
is another cash cow tied to chemical production. Recent estimates put the potential market for hemp paper
at between $15 to $30 billion a year worldwide. About 20 paper mills around the world use hemp fiber,
with an estimated annual world production volume of 120,000 tons. This represents about .05 percent of
all paper. India and China dominate this potentially vast market. In the U.S., the "green" paper industry
(including recycled and natural fibers) accounts for about $20 million in a $230 billion industry.
Expanded use of agricultural crops and other tree-free materials for paper would not only spare
trees but would also produce paper with minimal environmental impact from the chemicals used to
manufacture paper. In the U.S., hemp food products are a small but fast-growing sector of the
natural foods industry, with annual sales of about $5 million. Canadian farmers seeded 3,800
acres of hemp in 2002 and harvested about two million pounds of the crop. In 1994, President Clinton
signed Executive Order 12919, specifically identifying hemp as a "strategic food resource" subject to
"essential civilian demand." Consider that the nutritional value of Cannabis seed makes hemp the most
nutritious and healing food on Earth. This is an inarguable fact, since Cannabis is the only common seed
with three essential fatty acids (EFAs) in proper proportion for long-term consumption.
Cannabis seed is also the best available source of organic protein on the planet. Consider that
neither the U.S. government, nor the United Nations, has any research projects, anywhere in the
world, where Cannabis is being considered as a source of vegetable protein. Even in countries
where it is perfectly legal to grow Cannabis, (even subsidized by the European Union in some
places), there are no U.N. Food & Agriculture investigations being carried out. Not one.
Instead of growing organic Cannabis, humankind is growing soybeans for protein. This is a relatively poor choice, since there are several good reasons not to eat soybean, unless it is properly fermented. Also, from an agricultural perspective, soybean is much more difficult to grow than Cannabis, requiring substantial chemical application to suppress competition from weeds. Cannabis naturally defends itself against most insect pests, and crowds out competition from most weeds.
This and many other beneficial agricultural characteristics make Cannabis an excellent rotational crop, useful as a companion plant to help with cultivation of other crops, re-mineralization of nutrient-depleted soils, for preventing soil erosion, as a seasonal windbreak, and to break up compacted soils.Cannabis is such a valuable plant, capable of producing so many products, that it may not be possible for mankind to achieve sustainable existence on this planet without it. Certainly, without hemp the United States of America as we know it would not exist. As most people know by now, all of the founding fathers of this country were hemp farmers, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Alexander Hamilton.
"Make the most of the hemp seed and sow it everywhere." --George Washington
(1794)
"We shall....want a world of hemp more for our own personal consumption."
- --John Adams (1783)
"Hemp is of first necessity....to the wealth and protection of the
country." --Thomas Jefferson
(1791)**
"Hemp is an article of importance enough to warrant the employment
of extraordinary means in its
favor."--Alexander Hamilton (1791)
Cannabis is capable of producing more food, fuel, medicines, fiber, cellulose, and resins
organically, sustain ably than any other plant on Earth. Not only is it imperative to stop the
waste of money and obviate the destructive impact of the research being done at U.C. Davis, it
is as important to ask why this research has been allowed to continue for five years, in light
of what is common knowledge about this critically important agricultural resource.
Such obvious abominations as the importation of invasive insect species from one continent to another, serve to make the absurdity and economic motivations of prohibition that much more blatant. As nothing else could, this plan to self-inflict a bio-terrorist attack on the world's best hope for sustainable agriculturally-based industry, should finally wake up America to the sinister character of corrupt economic forces that are running our government. Unless people recognize (before the election) the insidious
predation of impacted economic forces, perverting the human economic structure, treasonous influences
imbedded within our political fabric will continue to impose essential resource scarcity, capitalize on, and
exaggerate the imbalances which result from it.
Walt Kelly is as right as he ever-loving' was, "We have met the enemy and he is us."
* Note: While Cannabis can be "psychoactive" it is non-narcotic.
** Thomas Jefferson even smuggled hemp seeds into the U.S. from China.
#
Paul von Hartmann is an international freelance photojournalist, Cannabis
scholar, and Natural rights activist. This essay may also be found posted at the P.E.A.C.E.
blog entitled "Cannabis and Iraq: Why Prohibition Leads to War" http://cannabiswars.blogspot.com/
Thursday, June 10, 2004
Paul J. von Hartmann
Project P.E.A.C.E. Planet Ecology Advancing Conscious Economics
http://www.webspawner.com/users/projectpeace/
Contact: e-mail: projectpeace@yahoo.com
(c) PvH 2004
1. Research Project: Classical Biological Control of Narcotic Plants
http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/projects/projects.htm?ACCN_NO=402468&showpars=true&fy=2003
2.Medpot stars give for patients http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/2569.html
3.Study Shows Therapeutic Benefits, No Adverse Effects in Long-Term
Marijuana Users
http://www.infoimagination.org/ps/drug_war/articles/mj_study.html
4. War foes urge boycott of US products http://www.geocities.com/kmp_ph/strug/032403.html
5. Asia Farm & Consumer Groups Denounce UN FAO Support for GMOs
http://www.organicconsumers.org/ge/asia052404.cfm
6. Big Biotech Silencing Critics of Pesticides & GE Crops
http://www.organicconsumers.org/ge/bigbiotech060304.cfm
7. Organic Consumers Association Campaigning for Food Safety, Organic
Agriculture, Fair Trade &
Sustainability Millions Against Monsanto If you're talking about PCBs,
Agent Orange, Bovine
Growth Hormone, water privatization, biopiracy, untested/unlabeled
genetically engineered
organisms, or persecuting small family farmers, you're talking about
the Monsanto Corporation.
Monsanto's Government Ties http://www.organicconsumers.org/monlink.html
8. Scientists Demand Action on Invasive Species: National Environmental
Coalition on Invasive
Species (NECIS) issued a "Call To Action on Invasive Species."
http://www.ucsusa.org/global_environment/invasive_species/page.cfm?pageID=1275
Sunday, July 17, 2011
GMO Hemp Monopolies & California's SB 676
"Imagine if any farmer in the world could suddenly grow a magic plant whose fruit could feed every starving person, its fiber could clothe every freezing child, it could be burned as industrial biomass fuel, giving cheap electricity to every factory and small town in the world, its pulp could replace the need for wood building materials and paper, make natural cellulose plastic that is 10 times stronger than steel, and it could supply non-toxic methanol fuel for every car on the road today. According to Popular Mechanics in 1938, this miracle plant not only existed but had been known for more than 12,000 years as Cannabis (Hemp), and could completely reverse the painful death of American family farming since the Depression."
http://www.jcrows.com/prouty.html
Emerging from the bowels of the California state senate is a bill entitled SB 676, the California Industrial Hemp Farming Act. The LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST pertaining to this act states the following:
.
“This bill would revise the definition of "marijuana" so that the term would exclude industrial hemp, as defined… having no more than 3/10 of 1% [0.3%] tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) contained in the dried flowering tops… The bill would enact certain provisions relating to growing industrial hemp which would apply only in Imperial, Kern, Kings, San Joaquin, and Yolo Counties , except when grown by an established agricultural institution…”
“The bill would require industrial hemp to be cultivated only from seeds imported in accordance with laws of the United States or from seeds grown in California from plants, cultivated plants, or plants grown by an established agricultural research institution. “
“The bill would require…the person growing the industrial hemp to obtain…a laboratory test of a random sample of the crop to determine the amount of THC… The bill would require that samples to perform the testing be taken in the presence of, and be collected and transported only by, an employee or agent of a laboratory that is registered with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.”
[SEE: http://www.aroundthecapitol.com/billtrack/text.html?bvid=20110SB67696AMD]
SB 676 goes on to site California House Resolution 32, passed in 1999, which states:
“Resolved, That the Assembly finds and declares that the Legislature should consider directing the University of California, the California State University, and other state
agencies to prepare studies in conjunction with private industry on the cultivation, processing, and marketing of industrial hemp.”
[SEE: http://www.votehemp.com/PDF/hr_32_19990816_introduced.pdf]
SB 676 - THC REGULATIONS FORCE FARMERS TO BE DEPENDENT UPON THE LIKES OF UC DAVIS, MONSANTO, DEA, NATIONAL GRANGE AND SCOTTS MIRACLE GROW FOR SEED.
It is clear from reading the foregoing excerpts that California’s future Hemp industry, under SB 676, will be born from a limited number of exclusive ‘pilot’ programs, initiated by State Agencies in conjunction with ‘private industry‘, as well as universities such as UC Davis, and other ‘established agricultural institutions’. These institutions could include everything from the State and National Granges to Monsanto and Scotts Miracle Grow. If one thing is for sure it does not include small, independent farmers and collectives.
It is also made clear that the only legal Cannabis strains that will be available for this new Hemp industry, are strains which have THC levels less then 0.3%, and which must be certified by a DEA registered laboratory. These strains would either have to be imported to California under DEA import licenses, or bred using defunct artificial breeding practices and/or genetic engineering. The reason for this is because there is no Cannabis growing in California that has a THC level less then 0.3%. All of California's strains have been bred for very high levels of THC. Furthermore, THC levels in Cannabis are unstable and hard to control, with increases as much as 100% in one generation being a common phenomena. [SEE: http://www.hempreport.com/issues/17/pdf/australia16.pdf]
It has also been shown that low THC varieties are much weaker and pest ridden compared to high THC strains. [SEE: http://www.hempfood.com/iha/iha03209.html] This could be due to the fact that THC has been shown to be a defensive mechanism in Cannabis. Everything from UVB radiation, drought, soil health, to insects and other pests all contribute to the environmental stress which increases THC production in Cannabis. [SEE: http://www.hempfood.com/iha/iha01201.html] THC is a UVB protectant for developing seeds, thus high THC varieties have been shown to produce much larger seed yields, with over 1 kilogram of seed per plant. [SEE:http://www.hempworld.com/hemp-cyberfarm_com/htms/research_orgzs/iha/ihagenetic.html]
With an understanding of the chemical ecology of Cannabis, we can see that limiting the production of THC can result in less yield, less vigor and less resistance to pests and diseases. Weakening the immunity of Cannabis serves to benefit the chemical agricultural establishment for it creates more of incentive for farmers to utilize pesticides, artificial fertilizers, and biotechnology to fight disease, rather then relying on the natural immunity of the plant.
THC regulations serve as a bureaucratic tool to monopolize the Hemp industry. All known low THC varieties grow only in temperates north of the earths 45th parallel circle of latitude [SEE: http://www.hempworld.com/hemp-cyberfarm_com/htms/research_orgzs/iha/ihagenetic.html] This is due to the low UVB radiation coming from the sun at those climates. California’s climate receives substantially higher amounts of UVB radiation then northern climates and thus drastic increases in THC levels are common. This makes the task of regulating THC very difficult. The result is that THC regulations effectively ban 100% of all Cannabis already being grown by California farmers, forcing farmers to be dependent on the agricultural establishment for seed.
By barring high THC strains from being used for Hemp production, the only other strains available must be imported through a DEA license or breed by an established agricultural research institution like UC Davis. By further granting exclusive cultivation rights to ‘established agricultural institutions’, the state has effectively granted a Hemp monopoly to elite agricultural entities such as the National Grange (Who openly advocates for GMO Hemp research and cultivation) and Monsanto.
Since the 1950’s, the USDA along with European governments have been using artificial and defunct breeding practices to lower THC production in Cannabis. The specific method used is called hermaphroditic or monoecious inbreeding. This is where female plants are forced to produce male flowers and inbreed with itself to produce seed, this is an effective way to lower THC production.
Though there are many problems with monoecious varieties contaminating Californias Cannabis gene pool. The deleterious effects of inbreeding was first described in 1934 by Fleischman, who reported a 50% reduction in seed yeild. Bocsa in 1958 blamed inbreeding for losses of seed and fiber yield, short plant stature, shortened lifespan, production of sterile seed, and increase susceptibility to disease.
Written and researched by Conrad Justice Kiczenski
http://www.jcrows.com/prouty.html
Emerging from the bowels of the California state senate is a bill entitled SB 676, the California Industrial Hemp Farming Act. The LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST pertaining to this act states the following:
.
“This bill would revise the definition of "marijuana" so that the term would exclude industrial hemp, as defined… having no more than 3/10 of 1% [0.3%] tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) contained in the dried flowering tops… The bill would enact certain provisions relating to growing industrial hemp which would apply only in Imperial, Kern, Kings, San Joaquin, and Yolo Counties , except when grown by an established agricultural institution…”
“The bill would require industrial hemp to be cultivated only from seeds imported in accordance with laws of the United States or from seeds grown in California from plants, cultivated plants, or plants grown by an established agricultural research institution. “
“The bill would require…the person growing the industrial hemp to obtain…a laboratory test of a random sample of the crop to determine the amount of THC… The bill would require that samples to perform the testing be taken in the presence of, and be collected and transported only by, an employee or agent of a laboratory that is registered with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.”
[SEE: http://www.aroundthecapitol.com/billtrack/text.html?bvid=20110SB67696AMD]
SB 676 goes on to site California House Resolution 32, passed in 1999, which states:
“Resolved, That the Assembly finds and declares that the Legislature should consider directing the University of California, the California State University, and other state
agencies to prepare studies in conjunction with private industry on the cultivation, processing, and marketing of industrial hemp.”
[SEE: http://www.votehemp.com/PDF/hr_32_19990816_introduced.pdf]
SB 676 - THC REGULATIONS FORCE FARMERS TO BE DEPENDENT UPON THE LIKES OF UC DAVIS, MONSANTO, DEA, NATIONAL GRANGE AND SCOTTS MIRACLE GROW FOR SEED.
It is clear from reading the foregoing excerpts that California’s future Hemp industry, under SB 676, will be born from a limited number of exclusive ‘pilot’ programs, initiated by State Agencies in conjunction with ‘private industry‘, as well as universities such as UC Davis, and other ‘established agricultural institutions’. These institutions could include everything from the State and National Granges to Monsanto and Scotts Miracle Grow. If one thing is for sure it does not include small, independent farmers and collectives.
It is also made clear that the only legal Cannabis strains that will be available for this new Hemp industry, are strains which have THC levels less then 0.3%, and which must be certified by a DEA registered laboratory. These strains would either have to be imported to California under DEA import licenses, or bred using defunct artificial breeding practices and/or genetic engineering. The reason for this is because there is no Cannabis growing in California that has a THC level less then 0.3%. All of California's strains have been bred for very high levels of THC. Furthermore, THC levels in Cannabis are unstable and hard to control, with increases as much as 100% in one generation being a common phenomena. [SEE: http://www.hempreport.com/issues/17/pdf/australia16.pdf]
It has also been shown that low THC varieties are much weaker and pest ridden compared to high THC strains. [SEE: http://www.hempfood.com/iha/iha03209.html] This could be due to the fact that THC has been shown to be a defensive mechanism in Cannabis. Everything from UVB radiation, drought, soil health, to insects and other pests all contribute to the environmental stress which increases THC production in Cannabis. [SEE: http://www.hempfood.com/iha/iha01201.html] THC is a UVB protectant for developing seeds, thus high THC varieties have been shown to produce much larger seed yields, with over 1 kilogram of seed per plant. [SEE:http://www.hempworld.com/hemp-cyberfarm_com/htms/research_orgzs/iha/ihagenetic.html]
With an understanding of the chemical ecology of Cannabis, we can see that limiting the production of THC can result in less yield, less vigor and less resistance to pests and diseases. Weakening the immunity of Cannabis serves to benefit the chemical agricultural establishment for it creates more of incentive for farmers to utilize pesticides, artificial fertilizers, and biotechnology to fight disease, rather then relying on the natural immunity of the plant.
THC regulations serve as a bureaucratic tool to monopolize the Hemp industry. All known low THC varieties grow only in temperates north of the earths 45th parallel circle of latitude [SEE: http://www.hempworld.com/hemp-cyberfarm_com/htms/research_orgzs/iha/ihagenetic.html] This is due to the low UVB radiation coming from the sun at those climates. California’s climate receives substantially higher amounts of UVB radiation then northern climates and thus drastic increases in THC levels are common. This makes the task of regulating THC very difficult. The result is that THC regulations effectively ban 100% of all Cannabis already being grown by California farmers, forcing farmers to be dependent on the agricultural establishment for seed.
By barring high THC strains from being used for Hemp production, the only other strains available must be imported through a DEA license or breed by an established agricultural research institution like UC Davis. By further granting exclusive cultivation rights to ‘established agricultural institutions’, the state has effectively granted a Hemp monopoly to elite agricultural entities such as the National Grange (Who openly advocates for GMO Hemp research and cultivation) and Monsanto.
Since the 1950’s, the USDA along with European governments have been using artificial and defunct breeding practices to lower THC production in Cannabis. The specific method used is called hermaphroditic or monoecious inbreeding. This is where female plants are forced to produce male flowers and inbreed with itself to produce seed, this is an effective way to lower THC production.
Though there are many problems with monoecious varieties contaminating Californias Cannabis gene pool. The deleterious effects of inbreeding was first described in 1934 by Fleischman, who reported a 50% reduction in seed yeild. Bocsa in 1958 blamed inbreeding for losses of seed and fiber yield, short plant stature, shortened lifespan, production of sterile seed, and increase susceptibility to disease.
Written and researched by Conrad Justice Kiczenski
Saturday, July 16, 2011
IS MONSANTO GOING AFETR MEDICAL MARIJUANA MARKET WITH MIRACLE-GRO?
SOURCE:
http://www.growswitch.com/blog/2011/06/monsanto-going-afetr-medical-marijuana-market-with-miracle-gro/http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
The thought of it is almost unimaginable, but many think that the company often referred to as the most “evil corporation” in history is now going after the medical marijuana market with Scotts Miracle-Gro.
Please research and do your own investigation before using any chemicals or fertilizers, especially if it involves ANYTHING that you’re putting in your body or using medically.
Scotts Miracle-Gro Looks to Help People Grow Marijuana – by the Wall Street Journal
By DANA MATTIOLI
Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. has long sold weed killer. Now, it’s hoping to help people grow killer weed.
Scott’s Miracle-Gro is hoping to cash in on the growing medical marijuana business. WSJ’s Dana Mattioli reports.
In an unlikely move for the head of a major company, Scotts Chief Executive Jim Hagedorn said he is exploring targeting medical marijuana as well as other niches to help boost sales at his lawn and garden company.
“I want to target the pot market,” Mr. Hagedorn said in an interview. “There’s no good reason we haven’t.”
But the Marysville, Ohio, company relies on sales at three key retailers—Home Depot Inc., Lowe’s Cos. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc.—for nearly two-thirds of its revenue. With consumers still cautious about spending, the retailers aren’t building new stores as quickly as they used to, making growth for suppliers like Scotts harder to come by. Against that backdrop, Mr. Hagedorn has pushed his regional sales presidents to look for smaller pockets of growth, such as the marijuana market, that together could produce a noticeable bump in sales.
Sixteen states have legalized medical marijuana, the largest being California and Colorado. The market will reach $1.7 billion in sales this year, according to a report by See Change Strategy LLC, an information data services company.
While the report focuses on revenue from growers and dispensaries, Kris Lotlikar, president of See Change, said the market for companies selling hydroponic equipment and professional services is also thriving.
“We see very good growth for these types of companies as the medical-marijuana business grows,” he said.
via High Hopes at Miracle-Gro in Medical Marijuana Field
SCOTTS MIRACLE-GRO, GMO'S, AND MONSANTO:
"1998 also saw Scotts branch out into GM technology, through the acquisition of 80% of Sanford Scientific Inc, “allowing researchers to create desirable varieties of plants with value-added traits far beyond the capabilities of conventional plant breeding techniques”.[7] Scotts also entered into a collaboration with the Monsanto company to “bring the benefits of biotechnology to the multi-billion dollar turfgrass and ornamental plants business.[8] Under the agreement, Scotts and Monsanto agreed to share technologies, including Monsanto's extensive genetic library of plant traits and Scotts' proprietary gene gun technology to produce 'improved' transgenic turfgrass and ornamental plants. Other acquisitions in 1998 included the US company EarthGro Inc. and the continental lawn and garden products company ASEF."
"Scotts relationship with Monsanto became even cosier in 1999, when Scotts completed agreements with the company for exclusive US, Canada, UK, France, Germany and Austria agency and marketing rights to its consumer Roundup herbicide products. Scotts also purchased the remainder of Monsanto's lawn and garden business, which included the pesticide brand Ortho."
http://www.corporatewatch.org/?lid=367
Do You Think Monsanto is Helping Your Garden?
by TAMARA
Do we really want the creators of Agent Orange engineering our food? Surprised? Let me share their specialty is neurotoxin POISON. They have already contaminated over 70% of our food supply and infiltrated our political system. Yes indeed, the makers of Round Up and Scott’s Miracle grow are buying up patents to our seeds, our food, and our future. One of their former attorneys now works for our FDA helping to write a bill for their bovine hormone usage in our food supply.
They do not have our best interests at heart. Their GMO foods are making us sick, their Round Up and Miracle Grow toxins are poisoning our earth and their profits are making THEM happy.
Stand up and refuse to buy GMO foods. Mac and cheese for your kids? You might as well hand them poison because 80% of all pre packaged food in the US are GMO. Wondering about fertility rates being so low? Our seeds are becoming sterilized thanks to GMO foods and that trickles into our bodies.
Don’t be fooled by Miracle Gro, produced by Scotts Company an arm of Monsanto. They are a billion dollar chemical company. It’s chemical based and it’s new Organic line is a Marketing ploy. There is no organic watch dog for gardening or cleaning products.
It is INorganic and contains oh so good for us grow crystals made of chemical fertilizers. Scotts also makes Hyponex soil which was studied by Colorado State University and showed poor plant growth. Read the report here“
Read the full article here via Daily Transformations: http://www.dailytransformations.com/do-you-think-monsanto-is-helping-your-garden/
http://www.growswitch.com/blog/2011/06/monsanto-going-afetr-medical-marijuana-market-with-miracle-gro/http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
The thought of it is almost unimaginable, but many think that the company often referred to as the most “evil corporation” in history is now going after the medical marijuana market with Scotts Miracle-Gro.
Please research and do your own investigation before using any chemicals or fertilizers, especially if it involves ANYTHING that you’re putting in your body or using medically.
Scotts Miracle-Gro Looks to Help People Grow Marijuana – by the Wall Street Journal
By DANA MATTIOLI
Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. has long sold weed killer. Now, it’s hoping to help people grow killer weed.
Scott’s Miracle-Gro is hoping to cash in on the growing medical marijuana business. WSJ’s Dana Mattioli reports.
In an unlikely move for the head of a major company, Scotts Chief Executive Jim Hagedorn said he is exploring targeting medical marijuana as well as other niches to help boost sales at his lawn and garden company.
“I want to target the pot market,” Mr. Hagedorn said in an interview. “There’s no good reason we haven’t.”
But the Marysville, Ohio, company relies on sales at three key retailers—Home Depot Inc., Lowe’s Cos. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc.—for nearly two-thirds of its revenue. With consumers still cautious about spending, the retailers aren’t building new stores as quickly as they used to, making growth for suppliers like Scotts harder to come by. Against that backdrop, Mr. Hagedorn has pushed his regional sales presidents to look for smaller pockets of growth, such as the marijuana market, that together could produce a noticeable bump in sales.
Sixteen states have legalized medical marijuana, the largest being California and Colorado. The market will reach $1.7 billion in sales this year, according to a report by See Change Strategy LLC, an information data services company.
While the report focuses on revenue from growers and dispensaries, Kris Lotlikar, president of See Change, said the market for companies selling hydroponic equipment and professional services is also thriving.
“We see very good growth for these types of companies as the medical-marijuana business grows,” he said.
via High Hopes at Miracle-Gro in Medical Marijuana Field
SCOTTS MIRACLE-GRO, GMO'S, AND MONSANTO:
"1998 also saw Scotts branch out into GM technology, through the acquisition of 80% of Sanford Scientific Inc, “allowing researchers to create desirable varieties of plants with value-added traits far beyond the capabilities of conventional plant breeding techniques”.[7] Scotts also entered into a collaboration with the Monsanto company to “bring the benefits of biotechnology to the multi-billion dollar turfgrass and ornamental plants business.[8] Under the agreement, Scotts and Monsanto agreed to share technologies, including Monsanto's extensive genetic library of plant traits and Scotts' proprietary gene gun technology to produce 'improved' transgenic turfgrass and ornamental plants. Other acquisitions in 1998 included the US company EarthGro Inc. and the continental lawn and garden products company ASEF."
"Scotts relationship with Monsanto became even cosier in 1999, when Scotts completed agreements with the company for exclusive US, Canada, UK, France, Germany and Austria agency and marketing rights to its consumer Roundup herbicide products. Scotts also purchased the remainder of Monsanto's lawn and garden business, which included the pesticide brand Ortho."
http://www.corporatewatch.org/?lid=367
Do You Think Monsanto is Helping Your Garden?
by TAMARA
Do we really want the creators of Agent Orange engineering our food? Surprised? Let me share their specialty is neurotoxin POISON. They have already contaminated over 70% of our food supply and infiltrated our political system. Yes indeed, the makers of Round Up and Scott’s Miracle grow are buying up patents to our seeds, our food, and our future. One of their former attorneys now works for our FDA helping to write a bill for their bovine hormone usage in our food supply.
They do not have our best interests at heart. Their GMO foods are making us sick, their Round Up and Miracle Grow toxins are poisoning our earth and their profits are making THEM happy.
Stand up and refuse to buy GMO foods. Mac and cheese for your kids? You might as well hand them poison because 80% of all pre packaged food in the US are GMO. Wondering about fertility rates being so low? Our seeds are becoming sterilized thanks to GMO foods and that trickles into our bodies.
Don’t be fooled by Miracle Gro, produced by Scotts Company an arm of Monsanto. They are a billion dollar chemical company. It’s chemical based and it’s new Organic line is a Marketing ploy. There is no organic watch dog for gardening or cleaning products.
It is INorganic and contains oh so good for us grow crystals made of chemical fertilizers. Scotts also makes Hyponex soil which was studied by Colorado State University and showed poor plant growth. Read the report here“
Read the full article here via Daily Transformations: http://www.dailytransformations.com/do-you-think-monsanto-is-helping-your-garden/
Monday, May 16, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Just Say NO to GMO Hemp!
Okay here's the situation as I understand it to the best of my impaired ability. In a few states farmers are finally standing up for themselves and banding together to be allowed to grow that which we have been waiting for all these long years. Good news, right? Oh how I wish!
See, out of concern for the welfare of the women and children (like Waco), the Great White Fathers in WDC (and their Illuminati masters) have determined that the only hemp that civilization can tolerate are patented low to no THC varieties.
So? Why not just grow the "safe, drug-free" hemp and get the ball rolling and a real hemp industry started in this country? Well for one thing, the low to no THC hemp sucks in every way. It's designed primarily to be a fiber crop but the plants are short and the fibers are real short. Most industries are wholly dissatisfied with the products and the results are disappointing at best. And because of terminator technology we can't use them for seed production. It gets worse.
There is every reason to believe that they will export their multipurpose suckyness to every other cannabis variety unlucky enough to be anywhere downwind. (Remember the "Starlink" feed corn and the Canadian canola catastrophe?) THC is a UV blocker which protects developing hemp seed from damaging radiation. Low THC hemp mutates and rapidly loses its reproductive vigor. Exporting this characteristic or God forbid the Terminator trait through air borne pollen would rapidly lead to the demise of the species.
Since they frankenfucked with the genetics I’m concerned about it being released into the environment at all. So please help me out here people whatta ya think we should do? I mean it's only the most important ally our species has ever had.
By Uncle Tim
SOURCE:
http://hempevolutionnyc.tribe.net/thread/c90e0ced-8d3f-4021-9625-b69ebeca89a2
See, out of concern for the welfare of the women and children (like Waco), the Great White Fathers in WDC (and their Illuminati masters) have determined that the only hemp that civilization can tolerate are patented low to no THC varieties.
So? Why not just grow the "safe, drug-free" hemp and get the ball rolling and a real hemp industry started in this country? Well for one thing, the low to no THC hemp sucks in every way. It's designed primarily to be a fiber crop but the plants are short and the fibers are real short. Most industries are wholly dissatisfied with the products and the results are disappointing at best. And because of terminator technology we can't use them for seed production. It gets worse.
There is every reason to believe that they will export their multipurpose suckyness to every other cannabis variety unlucky enough to be anywhere downwind. (Remember the "Starlink" feed corn and the Canadian canola catastrophe?) THC is a UV blocker which protects developing hemp seed from damaging radiation. Low THC hemp mutates and rapidly loses its reproductive vigor. Exporting this characteristic or God forbid the Terminator trait through air borne pollen would rapidly lead to the demise of the species.
Since they frankenfucked with the genetics I’m concerned about it being released into the environment at all. So please help me out here people whatta ya think we should do? I mean it's only the most important ally our species has ever had.
By Uncle Tim
SOURCE:
http://hempevolutionnyc.tribe.net/thread/c90e0ced-8d3f-4021-9625-b69ebeca89a2
Sunday, March 13, 2011
DEA to legalize marijuana only for ‘Big Pharma'
SOURCE:
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/02/23/dea-to-legalize-marijuana-only-for-big-pharma-group-claims/
A Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) proposal to reclassify the main psychoactive chemical in marijuana as a Schedule III substance would allow pharmaceutical companies to market the drug while still penalizing common recreational use, according to marijuana law reform advocates.
The main psychoactive chemical in marijuana, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), is currently a Schedule I substance within the US Controlled Substances Act, the most restrictive schedule with the greatest criminal penalties.
In November 2010, the DEA proposed reclassifying dronabinol, a synthetic THC, as a Schedule III substance, which would place it among substances such as hydrocodone and allow it to be dispensed with a written or oral prescription.
"The DEA's intent is to expand the federal government's schedule III listing to include pharmaceutical products containing naturally derived formations of THC while simultaneously maintain existing criminal prohibitions on the plant itself," Paul Armentano, the deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), wrote at AlterNet.
With its proposal, the DEA is responding to the demands of large pharmaceutical companies, he claimed.
Marijuana plants and THC extracts would remain illegal under the proposal, but companies would be able to purchase THC from a government-licensed provider to develop pharmaceutical products.
"While the DEA's forthcoming regulatory change promises to stimulate the advent of legally available, natural THC therapeutic products... the change will offer no legal relief for those hundreds of thousands of Americans who believe that therapeutic relief is best obtained by use of the whole plant itself," Armentano added.
"Rather the DEA appears content to try to walk a political and semantic tightrope that alleges: 'pot is bad,' but 'pot-derived pharmaceuticals are good.'"
THC can help cancer patients regain their appetites and sense of taste, according to a study published on Wednesday.
"This is the first randomized controlled trial to show that THC makes food taste better and improves appetites for patients with advanced cancer, as well as helping them to sleep and to relax better," Dr. Wendy Wismer, associate professor at the University of Alberta, said. "Our findings are important, as there is no accepted treatment for chemosensory alterations experienced by cancer patients."
Fifteen states and the District of Columbia have passed legislation to legalize the medical use of marijuana.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/02/23/dea-to-legalize-marijuana-only-for-big-pharma-group-claims/
A Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) proposal to reclassify the main psychoactive chemical in marijuana as a Schedule III substance would allow pharmaceutical companies to market the drug while still penalizing common recreational use, according to marijuana law reform advocates.
The main psychoactive chemical in marijuana, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), is currently a Schedule I substance within the US Controlled Substances Act, the most restrictive schedule with the greatest criminal penalties.
In November 2010, the DEA proposed reclassifying dronabinol, a synthetic THC, as a Schedule III substance, which would place it among substances such as hydrocodone and allow it to be dispensed with a written or oral prescription.
"The DEA's intent is to expand the federal government's schedule III listing to include pharmaceutical products containing naturally derived formations of THC while simultaneously maintain existing criminal prohibitions on the plant itself," Paul Armentano, the deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), wrote at AlterNet.
With its proposal, the DEA is responding to the demands of large pharmaceutical companies, he claimed.
Marijuana plants and THC extracts would remain illegal under the proposal, but companies would be able to purchase THC from a government-licensed provider to develop pharmaceutical products.
"While the DEA's forthcoming regulatory change promises to stimulate the advent of legally available, natural THC therapeutic products... the change will offer no legal relief for those hundreds of thousands of Americans who believe that therapeutic relief is best obtained by use of the whole plant itself," Armentano added.
"Rather the DEA appears content to try to walk a political and semantic tightrope that alleges: 'pot is bad,' but 'pot-derived pharmaceuticals are good.'"
THC can help cancer patients regain their appetites and sense of taste, according to a study published on Wednesday.
"This is the first randomized controlled trial to show that THC makes food taste better and improves appetites for patients with advanced cancer, as well as helping them to sleep and to relax better," Dr. Wendy Wismer, associate professor at the University of Alberta, said. "Our findings are important, as there is no accepted treatment for chemosensory alterations experienced by cancer patients."
Fifteen states and the District of Columbia have passed legislation to legalize the medical use of marijuana.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Company makes GMO plant produce THC
Oakdale, CA: Scientists at Montsaint Genie Tech Inc. announced today that they have successfully transferred the gene segment that produces the psychotropic chemical THC in cannabis plants to many other common garden plants, including tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, carrots, and more.
“We probably can put the THC segment into almost any plant in existence,” says lead scientist Rebeca Vale. “It’s a very simple process. We are starting work on oak and maple trees now.”
Asked if the resulting plants could be used in ways similar to cannabis, Vale replied, “Well, you can’t make twine out of a tomato plant, but if someone were to dry it and smoke it, all of the medicinal and psychotropic effects of marijuana would be present. And what’s more, we have learned that tomatoes, in particular, actually produce more THC than cannabis itself.”
But is it legal? “Actually, yes,” says Vale. “Our research qualifies as GMO ‘intellectual property’, as does the process itself. Since tomatoes and other plants are not illegal, a person would be well within the law to grow them and use them as they please.”
Vale says that her company is working on a spray that will transfer the segment to many plants simply by spraying the leaves of seedlings.
“It’s a very simple process,” she says. “Anyone can do it. We plan to start selling the spray – ‘Genie Mist’ – in a matter of weeks. One bottle will sell for five dollars and be capable of treating 6,000 seedlings.”
But how do the tomatoes taste? “Scrumptious,” Vale says. “But, of course, they are best when roasted.”
Source:
http://guspini.wordpress.com/2010/04/11/company-makes-any-plant-produce-thc-and-the-tomatoes-are-especially-yummy/
“We probably can put the THC segment into almost any plant in existence,” says lead scientist Rebeca Vale. “It’s a very simple process. We are starting work on oak and maple trees now.”
Asked if the resulting plants could be used in ways similar to cannabis, Vale replied, “Well, you can’t make twine out of a tomato plant, but if someone were to dry it and smoke it, all of the medicinal and psychotropic effects of marijuana would be present. And what’s more, we have learned that tomatoes, in particular, actually produce more THC than cannabis itself.”
But is it legal? “Actually, yes,” says Vale. “Our research qualifies as GMO ‘intellectual property’, as does the process itself. Since tomatoes and other plants are not illegal, a person would be well within the law to grow them and use them as they please.”
Vale says that her company is working on a spray that will transfer the segment to many plants simply by spraying the leaves of seedlings.
“It’s a very simple process,” she says. “Anyone can do it. We plan to start selling the spray – ‘Genie Mist’ – in a matter of weeks. One bottle will sell for five dollars and be capable of treating 6,000 seedlings.”
But how do the tomatoes taste? “Scrumptious,” Vale says. “But, of course, they are best when roasted.”
Source:
http://guspini.wordpress.com/2010/04/11/company-makes-any-plant-produce-thc-and-the-tomatoes-are-especially-yummy/
GMO Bacteria makes THC
German scientists use genetically-engineered bacteria to produce THC. Google translation of an article in Spiegel Online.
Kayser's team has now developed a method of producing the genetically engineered bacteria in the THC. "We have virtually copied the biosynthesis of the plant into a micro-organism," Kayser said in an interview with SPIEGEL ONLINE. The THC-production with another organism was possible for the first time worldwide.
THC is extracted from hemp grown in Germany, for growing and imports are legal. "Because the fibers contain less than 0.2 percent THC, the production process is correspondingly expensive," says Kayser. From the cannabis plant, which can contain up to 25 percent THC, the active ingredient may for legal reasons in Germany can not be won.
SOURCE:
http://www.dosenation.com/listing.php?id=7686
Kayser's team has now developed a method of producing the genetically engineered bacteria in the THC. "We have virtually copied the biosynthesis of the plant into a micro-organism," Kayser said in an interview with SPIEGEL ONLINE. The THC-production with another organism was possible for the first time worldwide.
THC is extracted from hemp grown in Germany, for growing and imports are legal. "Because the fibers contain less than 0.2 percent THC, the production process is correspondingly expensive," says Kayser. From the cannabis plant, which can contain up to 25 percent THC, the active ingredient may for legal reasons in Germany can not be won.
SOURCE:
http://www.dosenation.com/listing.php?id=7686
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)