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Is Hemp Legal?

Posted by hempdoctor on April 22, 2011 at 4:30am
  • Is Hemp Legal?
    Absolutely YES. Every product we sell is completely and totally legal in Canada and the US. There is nothing about hemp that is illegal. There are no laws in the US or Canada that make possession of hemp illegal. This includes the sterilized seed, hemp seed oil, hemp seed flour, hemp seed cake, shelled hemp seeds, hemp hearts, hemp clothing, hemp fabrics, hemp fuel or any other product made from INDUSTRIAL HEMP.

    While industrial hemp and the products made from it are legal, hemp's cousin, marijuana is in fact illegal. There are many strains of hemp that produce little or no THC. There are also strains of Cannibis Sativa that produce high levels of THC. These strains would be considered Marijuana. There is nothing similar between marijuana and hemp. They may as well be different plants as they are grown differently, processed differently, are made from different parts of the plant and have grown so far apart genetically that they are, for all intents and purposes, completely different plants.

    Will you test positive if you eat hemp?
    The subject of drug tests have come up many times in the past and we are of two minds on the subject of positive results. Health Canada, which is the governmental body that regulates the hemp industry in Canada, states that we cannot sell a hemp oil product that contains more than 10 parts per million THC. Therefore the oil we sell we can guarantee contains less than 10 PPM THC. We actually test to levels of 4 PPM to be sure that we do not sell products with measurable levels of THC and our oil has consistently tested with non-detectable levels at 4 PPM.

    For arguments sake, we'll say that the oil you ingest has a THC level of 1 PPM THC (though the actual levels are probably a lot lower). It would then become something probably around the 1 part per billion in your body (we presume). If the level of accuracy of the drug test allows for concentrations in the parts per trillion range, you might test positive, though you could have picked up that kind of concentration touching someone's hand that had traces of THC and then putting your fingers in your mouth.

    We then cannot guarantee that if your drug test is able to detect levels in the parts per trillion that you would not test positive because we only guarantee that our oil is less than 10 PPM. Do we think this is possible, yes we do, it is possible to detect parts per trillion THC in blood. Do we think this is likely, no we don't, but it is up to you to decide.

    We have heard that NY police have been told not to eat poppy seed bagels because it is causing false positives for opiates in drug tests. We don't know if this is true or not, but if there are such severe, draconian testing where you work, we do not recommend that you consume hemp products and risk losing your job. Someone has emailed in and mentioned that the US Air Force does ban consuming hemp food products and poppy seeds by military due to the "possibility" of a false positive drug test.

    We would recommend not risking your career over eating hemp. While it is good for you, it is still frowned upon by the US establishment and there is a chance you would test positive, while remote.

    On another note, we have done tests with an old distributor of ours who got his paralegal secretary to consume 3 pounds of hemp seeds and then go for a drug test. She tested negative for THC in her blood. Sometimes hemp oil tests higher than the hemp seed because it is a concentrated version of the seed but with our rigorous testing, we are confident that our oils have low enough percentages of THC as to not cause a false positive with respect to drug tests but we cannot guarantee this.

    In the early 90's someone was buying Chinese seed, exporting it to Brazil where they were pressing it for oil and then importing the oil into the US. This oil was notorious for false pee positives because it was 1200 to 1600 PPM THC. The Chinese seed was and still is poorly cleaned. Our Canadian seed is cleaned to 99.99% and cannot come off the field if it is more than 4 PPM THC or 0.00% THC.

    During the high THC oil level days, that was when the idea of using eating hemp as an excuse to beat drug charges began. Because of this, the US Govt. initiated this Zero tolerance for THC in hemp and we settled for 0.00% which it is today.

    So the long of the short of it is, no, probably not, but it is possible.




    Please sign the petition on page two of my website, namaste.......
    www.myversativa.com/hempdoctor
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Hemp vs Marijuana

Posted by hempdoctor on April 20, 2011 at 5:29pm
. HEMP vs. MARIJUANA:1. The THC (active ingredient of marijuana) levels in Industrial Hemp are so low that no one could get high from smoking it. Moreover, hemp contains a relatively high percentage of another cannabinoid, CBD, that actually blocks the marijuana high. Hemp, it turns out, is not only NOT marijuana; it could be called "antimarijuana."2. Industrial hemp has a THC content of between 0.05 and 1%. Marijuana has a THC content of 3% to 20%.2. Extracting THC from Industrial Hemp and further refining it to eliminate the preponderance of CBD would require such an expensive, hazardous, and time-consuming process that it is extremely unlikely anyone would ever attempt it, rather than simply obtaining high-THC marijuana instead.3. Industrial Hemp is grown quite differently from marijuana. Moreover, it is harvested at a different time than marijuana. Finally, cross-pollination between hemp plants and marijuana plants would significantly reduce the potency of the marijuana plant, eliminating the possibility that growers would use industrial hemp fields to hide marijuana plants.4. Hemp is not legal to grow in the U.S. under Federal law because of its relation to marijuana, and it is considered a controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act.5. Any imported hemp products must meet a zero tolerance level.6. Some states have defied Federal law and made the cultivation of industrial hemp legal. These states — North Dakota, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Montana, West Virginia, Oregon and Vermont — have not yet begun to grow hemp because of resistance from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.7. In countries where hemp is grown as an agricultural crop, the police have experienced no extra burdens.HISTORY:8. Hemp is the oldest cultivated fiber plant in the world. From more than 1,000 years before the time of Christ until 1883 A.D., hemp was our planet’s largest agricultural crop and most important industry, involving thousands of products and enterprises; producing the overall majority of Earth’s fiber, fabric, lighting oil, paper, incense and medicines. In addition, it was a primary source of essential food oil and protein for humans and animals.9. Hemp fiber imprints were found in pottery shards in China and Taiwan over 7,000 years old.10. Ninety percent of all ships’ sails (since before the Phoenicians, from at least the 5th century B.C. until long after the invention and commercialization of steam ships, mid-to late-19th century) were made from hemp.11. In addition to canvas sails, until this century virtually all of the rigging, anchor ropes, cargo nets, fishing nets, flags, shrouds, and oakum (the main protection for ships against salt water, used as a sealant between the outer and inner hull of ships) were made from the stalk of the marijuana plant.12. The Constitution of the United States was written on hemp paper.13. The first draft of the Declaration of Independence (June 28, 1776) was written on Dutch (hemp) paper, as was the second draft completed on July 2, 1776. This was the document actually agreed to on that day and announced and released on July 4, 1776.14. In 1776 Betsy Ross made the first American flag of hemp cloth.15. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew hemp on their plantations.16. Benjamin Franklin started one of America’s first paper mills with hemp. This allowed America to have a free colonial press without having to beg or justify the need for paper and books from England.17. Until about 1800, hempseed oil was the most consumed lighting oil in America and the world. From then until the 1870s, it was the second most consumed lighting oil, exceeded only by whale oil.18. Hempseed oil lit the lamps of the legendary Aladdin, Abraham the prophet, and in real life, Abraham Lincoln. It was the brightest lamp oil.19. Virtually every city and town in the world had an industry making hemp rope. Russia, however, was the world’s largest producer and best-quality manufacturer, supplying 80% of the Western world’s hemp from 1640 until 1940.20. The primary reason for the War of 1812 (fought by America against Great Britain) was access to Russian hemp. Russian hemp was also the principal reason that Napoleon (our 1812 ally) and his “Continental Systems” allies invaded Russia in 1812.21. Until the 1880s in America (and until the 20th century in most of the rest of the world), 80% of all textiles and fabrics used for clothing, tents, bed sheets and linens,* rugs, drapes, quilts, towels, diapers, etc., and even our flag, “Old Glory,” were principally made from hemp fibers.22. For hundreds, if not thousands of years (until the 1830s), Ireland made the finest linens and Italy made the world’s finest cloth for clothing with hemp.23. The paintings of Van Gogh, Gainsborough, Rembrandt, etc., were primarily painted on hemp canvas, as were practically all canvas paintings.24. Until 1883, from 75-90% of all paper in the world was made with hemp fiber partly because of it’s extreme durability and color (it doesn’t yellow) including that for books, Bibles, maps, paper money, stocks and bonds, newspapers, etc.25. If the hemp pulp paper process reported by the USDA in 1916 were legal today, it would soon replace 70% of all wood paper products.26. In 1935 alone, 116 million pounds (58,000 tons*) of hempseed were used in America just for paint and varnish.27. From 70-90% of all rope, twine, and cordage was made from hemp until 1937.28. Americans were legally bound to grow hemp during the Colonial Era and Early Republic.29. The Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 effectively made the cultivation of hemp illegal, due largely to the efforts of businessmen Andrew Mellon, William Randolph Hearst and the DuPont family.30. In 1942, The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), in contradiction to the Marijuana Tax Act, produced and distributed a motion picture called "Hemp for Victory" in which the federal government not only promoted the many uses of cannabis hemp, but also detailed the most efficient cultivation and harvesting methods.31. In 1942, after the Japanese invasion of the Philippines cut off the supply of Manila (Abaca) hemp, the U.S. government distributed 400,000 pounds of cannabis seeds to American farmers from Wisconsin to Kentucky, who produced 42,000 tons of hemp fiber annually until 1946 when the war ended.32. After the War ended, the United States government once again did an about face, prohibiting the cultivation of hemp and marijuana.THE ENVIRONMENT and SUSTAINABILITY:33. Hemp is biomass champion, breathing in more carbon dioxide (the most abundant greenhouse gas) than any other plant-approx. 3 times more than trees. Hemp scrubs the air of excess CO2 gas - a contributing factor in global warming - as it grows.34. Hemp is Earth's number-one biomass resource; it is capable of producing 10 tons per acre in four months. Biomass can be converted to methane, methanol, or gasoline at a cost comparable to petroleum, and hemp is much better for the environment. Pyrolysis (charcoalizing), or biochemical composting are two methods of turning hemp into fuel.35. Farming 6% of the continental U.S. acreage with hemp crops could provide all of America's energy needs.36. One acre of hemp is capable of producing 1000 gallons of methanol and 500 gallons of gasoline.37. Hemp can produce 10 times more methanol than corn.38. Hemp fuel burns clean and does not contribute to global warming., unlike petroleum based fuels.39. Planting hemp actually restores nutrients to the soil. Hemp was planted after the Chernoble nuclear disaster to clean the radioactive toxins left in the soil.40. The hemp plant’s deep taproot system prevents top soil erosion and aerates the soil.41. Hemp is naturally pest resistant requiring no pesticides and very little or no herbicides to thrive.42. Hemp is also a natural weed suppressor due to fast growth of the canopy.43. Hemp can be successfully cultivated in a wide variety of climates, making it a suitable crop for many Third World countries such as sub-Saharan Africa or countries with short growing seasons, such as Scandinavia.44. Approximately 50% of all chemicals used in American agriculture today are used in cotton growing. Hemp needs no chemicals and has few weed or insect enemies.45. Trees cut down to make paper take 50 to 500 years to grow, while hemp can be cultivated in as little as 100 days and can yield 4 times more paper over a 20 year period.46. Hemp paper can be recycled 7 times, wood pulp 4 times.47. Hemp production uses considerably less chemicals than cotton in both the farming and manufacturing process.48. When considered on a planet-wide, climate-wide, soil-wide basis, hemp is at least four and possibly many more times richer in sustainable, renewable biomass/cellulose potential than its nearest rivals on the planet - cornstalks, sugarcane, kenaf, trees, etc.49. Hemp provides four times as much pulp for paper with at least four to seven times less pollution.50. Hemp can be used as a "mop crop" to clear impurities out of wastewater, such as sewage effluent, excessive phosphorus from chicken litter, or other unwanted substances or chemicals.INDUSTRY, MANUFACTURING & AGRICULTURE:51. Almost any product that can be made from wood, cotton, or petroleum (including plastics) can be made from hemp. There are more than 25,000 known uses for hemp.52. In 1941 Henry Ford built a plastic car made of fiber from hemp and wheat straw.53. Over two million cars on the road today, including some BMW’s, Mercedes, and Lotus, have hemp composite parts for door panels, dashboards, luggage racks, etc.54. Biodiesel can be made from domestically produced, renewable oilseed crops such as hemp.55. Hemp plastic is biodegradable, synthetic plastic is not.56. One acre of hemp with a 4 month growth cycle can produce as much usable fiber as 4 acres of trees with a 20 yr. growth cycle.57. Hemp paper is longer lasting than wood pulp, stronger, acid-free, and chlorine free. (Chlorine is estimated to cause up to 10% of all cancers.) Bibles were originally made of hemp because it did not yellow and was durable.58. If the hemp pulp paper process of 1916 were in use today, it could replace 40 to 70% of all pulp paper, including corrugated boxes, computer printout paper and paper bags.59. Rag paper containing hemp fiber is the highest quality and longest lasting paper ever made. It can be torn when wet, but returns to its full strength when dry. Barring extreme conditions, rag paper remains stable for centuries.60. Hemp fabrics are softer, warmer, more water absorbent, has three times the tensile strength, and are many times more durable than cotton.61. DuPont Chemical developed nylon fiber as a direct competitor to hemp in the textile andcordage industries. Nylon was even billed as synthetic hemp.62. One acre of hemp can produce as much usable fiber as 2 acres of cotton that requires at least 5 months of frost free days to mature.63. The original, heavy-duty, famous Levi pants were made for the California ‘49ers out of hempen sailcloth and rivets.64. The age and density of the hemp patch influences fiber quality. Planting hemp plants close together yields a soft linen-quality fiber. One-hundred-twenty to 180 seeds to the square yard are planted for rough cordage or coarse cloth. Finest linen or lace is grown up to 400 plants to the square yard and harvested between 80 to 100 days.65. Hemp stems are 80% hurds (pulp by-product after the hemp fiber is removed from the plant). Hemp hurds are 77% cellulose – an industrial raw material used in the production of chemicals, plastics, and fibers. Depending on which U.S. agricultural report is correct, an acre of full grown hemp plants can sustainably provide from four to 50 or even 100 times the cellulose found in cornstalks, kenaf, or sugar cane (the planet's next highest annual cellulose plants).66. One acre of hemp produces as much cellulose fiber pulp as 4.1 acres of trees, making hemp a perfect material to replace trees for pressed board, particle board, and concrete construction molds.67. Hemp particle board may be up to 2 times stronger than wood particleboard and holds nails better.68. Heating and compressing plant fibers can create practical, inexpensive, fire-resistant construction materials with excellent thermal and sound-insulating qualities. These strong plant fiber construction materials could replace dry wall and wood paneling. William B. Conde, owner of Oregon’s largest timber plant, Conde's Redwood Lumber, Inc. in conjunction with WSU (1991-1993), has demonstrated the superior strength, flexibility, and economy of hemp composite building materials compared to wood fiber, even as beams.69. Isochanvre (commonly called Hempcrete) is a rediscovered French building material made from hemp hurds mixed with lime which petrifies into a mineral state and lasts for many centuries. It is stronger and lighter than concrete and is much easier to work with as there is no “slump” factor.70. Archeologists have found a bridge in the south of France from the Merovingian period (500-751 A.D.), built with this isochanvre (hempcrete).71. The first home in the U.S. made of hemp-based materials was completed in August 2010 in Asheville, North Carolina.72. A house made of hempcrete that has flooded could be dried out in 30 days and have no mold or mildew.73. Hemp has been used throughout history for carpet backing. Hemp fiber has potential in the manufacture of strong, rot resistant carpeting - eliminating the poisonous fumes of burning synthetic materials in a house or commercial fire, along with allergic reactions associated with new synthetic carpeting.74. Plastic plumbing pipe (PVC pipes) can be manufactured using renewable hemp cellulose, replacing non-renewable coal or petroleum based resources.75. A strong lustrous fiber; hemp withstands heat, mildew, insects, and is not damaged by light. Oil paintings on hemp and/or flax canvas have stayed in fine condition for centuries.76. For thousands of years almost all good paints and varnishes were made with hemp seed oil and/or linseed oil.77. Industrial Hemp is currently legal to cultivate in more than 25 countries including Canada, Germany, England, France, Holland, Spain, the Russian Federation, China, Thailand, Hungary and Romania.78. The world’s leading producer of hemp is China.79. Industrial Hemp is a number of varieties of Cannabis sativa L. that are intended for agricultural and industrial purposes.. Industrial Hemp is characterized by being low in THC (delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol) and high in CBD (cannabidiol). THC is less than 1% and in Canada and Europe the current legal level for cultivation is 0.3%.80. Currently it is illegal to grow hemp in the United States without a special Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) permit being issued.NUTRITION AND HEALTH:81. Hemp contains 25% - 31 % protein, second only to soy (35%), but the protein in hemp foods is more easily digestible.82. Hemp seed can be pressed into a nutritious Omega 3-6 oil, which contains the highest amount of fatty acids of any plant and is in the perfect balance to be used by the human body. Fatty acids are only available from our diet and are responsible for our immune system responses and they clear the arteries of cholesterol and plaque.83. Ground hemp seed protein, often made into a protein shake powder, is one of mankind's finest, most complete and available-to-the-body vegetable proteins, superior to even soy.84. Hemp seed protein is unique from other seeds (including flax) in that it contains all the amino acids essential to life. The very high density of nutrients per calorie make hemp a good choice if your goal is quick weight loss.85. Hemp seed protein is 65% globulin edistin, which is the highest in the plant kingdom. It also includes albumin, so the protein is readily available in a form quite similar to that found in blood plasma.86. Hemp seed is an excellent source of calcium and iron and are also a good source of phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, copper and manganese.87. The byproduct of pressing the oil from hemp seed is high quality protein seed cake. It can be sprouted (malted) or ground and baked into cakes, breads, and casseroles.88. Eating hemp seeds could aid people suffering from immune deficiency diseases.89. Hemp seed is gluten free and consequently will not trigger symptoms of celiac disease.90. Hemp seed oil can be used as cooking oil, to be added to hot pastas or mixed with salad dressings.91. Hemp seed "nut" (that which remains after the removal of the seed shell), may be added to many foods or incorporated in baking, and can withstand temperatures up to 300 degrees without hardening.92. The Chinese have been using hemp seeds for constipation in their herbal formulas for thousands of years.93. Hemp oil has been shown to relieve the symptoms of eczema and have anti-inflammatory properties.THE ECONOMY:94. in 1938 Reader's Digest and Popular Mechanics hailed hemp as the first billion-dollar crop. The article was the very first time in American history that the term “billion-dollar” (equivalent to $40-$80 billion now) was ever applied to any U.S. agricultural crop!95. In America alone, the hemp industry has grown from $5 million in 1990, to $50 million in 1995, to about half a billion dollars in 2002. (from www.hemphasis.net)96. The hemp products industry is currently growing at a rate of 100% per year.97. Hemp has an estimated $500 billion annual potential worldwide market, because anything made from trees, cotton or petroleum can be made from hemp, and usually better than from what it's made from now.98. China, Italy and Eastern European countries such as Hungary, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Russia currently make millions of dollars worth of sturdy hemp and hemp/cotton textiles, and could be making billions of dollars worth annually.99. More hemp is exported to the United States than to any other country.100. Hemp grown for biomass could fuel a trillion-dollar per year energy industry, while improving air quality and distributing the wealth to rural areas and their surrounding communities, and away from centralized power monopolies.101. If hemp were legally cultivated using 21st century technology, it would be the single largest agricultural crop in the United States and world today!Please visit my website, www.myversativa.com/hempdoctor today! Namaste!
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