HTTP/1.0 200 OK
Content-Type: text/html
Industrial Hemp Lucrative
Pubdate: Thu, 08 Jul 2004
Source: Strathmore Standard (CN AB)
Copyright: 2004 Strathmore Standard
Contact: http://www.strathmorestandard.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3322
Author: Jackie Gold
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?330 (Hemp - Outside U.S.)
INDUSTRIAL HEMP LUCRATIVE
Strathmore Standard -- Despite losing the Crowfoot federal election, Max
Cornelssen, the Marijuana party candidate achieved at least one of his goals
during the campaigning process.
"I'm an opportunist and in Stettler we've been promoting farmer grow-ops, to
grow hemp for bio-mass fuel," Cornelssen said.
"We've been promoting that (industrial hemp) for the past three months and
it was an opportunity to speak to the public forums and carry the message to
the people."
Industrial hemp comes from the same family of plants as marijuana, however
is much lower in Delta-9 Tetrahydrocannabinol, more commonly known as THC.
In fact studies by the Canadian government have shown the THC levels are so
low in industrial hemp that smoking it will have no effect.
Yet in 1938 the Canadian government banned the production of industrial hemp
or it's more potent counterpart marijuana.
Further research over the following 60 years proved how useful and
economically lucrative industrial hemp could be to Canada.
Industrial Hemp Regulations came into force on March 12, 1998, which covered
the cultivation, processing, transportation, sale, provision, import and
export of industrial hemp.
While a vast amount of red tape exists around the growing of industrial
hemp, including many Health Canada regulations on THC levels, industrial
hemp production has proven itself to be quite profitable.
There are other benefits of industrial hemp according to Cornelssen.
"By growing hemp for fuel we're getting away from our dependency on fossil
fuels, which are destroying the environment, melting the ice caps, and
creating global warming," Cornelssen said.
"By having the farmers being able to grow hemp for all it's many uses we
basically turn the entire economy around."
"We save the environment by growing our gasoline, instead of pumping out
fossil fuels, because as hemp is growing it's producing oxygen and it's
taking carbon dioxide out of the air.
"It also makes four times as much pulp for paper as you get off an acre of
trees, so basically we've been destroying our forests needlessly because the
farmers could have been growing hemp and making a better quality paper all
these years."
China,Hungary, France, Spain and Poland are just a few international
producers of industrial hemp.
In addition to paper, and fuel industrial hemp is also excellent for making
products like clothing, cat litter, horse bedding and dietary supplements
according to the Agriculture and Agri-Foods Canada web site at www.agr.gc.ca
and search for special crops.
For more information on Canada's industrial hemp policy, or application
forms visit www.hc-sc.gc.ca and search for the Office of Controlled
Substances.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Josh