Pubdate: Thu, 18 Aug 2016
Source: Chico News & Review, The (CA)
Copyright: 2016 Chico Community Publishing, Inc.
Contact: https://www.newsreview.com/chico/contactLetter2editor
Website: http://www.newsreview.com/chico/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/559
Author: William Todd-Mancillas

HEMP IS BENEFICIAL

Just as cotton is grown for fabric and twine, so is industrial hemp; 
just as nut trees yield seeds for food and oils, so does hemp; just 
as hay is grown for animal feed, so is hemp; just as agricultural 
products are used for building materials, so is hemp (Oakland Museum 
of California hemp exhibit). Opposition to industrial hemp stems from 
the misconception that hemp is psychotropic. It is not. Hemp is a 
variety of cannabis (sativa) containing less than 1 percent 
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the principal compound effecting euphoria.

By contrast, cannabis indica is a disparate variety containing 10 to 
19 percent of THC. One is as likely to get as high from smoking hemp 
as one is of getting inebriated from drinking nonalcoholic beer.

Hemp also contains high concentrations of cannabidiol (CBD), a 
compound counteracting the effects of THC. Because of its lack of 
psychoactive properties, CBD shows promise for ameliorating epilepsy 
and multiple sclerosis, but without getting the patient high. Over 20 
countries already market medicinal cannabidiol (sativaTm). Given 
these facts, there is no legitimate reason to deny hemp farmers the 
rights afforded other farmers.

William Todd-Mancillas

Chico
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