Spring Break
Hemp Prohibition Does Nothing But Harm
Greg Pivarnik
Issue date: 2/26/08 Section: Commentary
So, are there problems with hemp? Maybe farming and irrigating enough land to grow hemp would be a problem. But the sustainability, short growing season and ease of manufacturing offset the onetime costs. It is far better for the environment to use hemp fiber than to constantly cut down trees, that will never be replaced, to obtain paper and wood. And maybe the fuel produced by hemp may harm the environment, but any fuel made will the environment, biofuels just do at a miniscule rate compared to oil.
So the essential question in the end is - who benefits from hemp prohibition? Well, it is not the environment or the citizens. Hemp is a quick growing, renewable, and biodegradable resource, with health benefits that have been documented in human history for over ten thousand years. This includes the United States where it was grown during the colonial era and World War II. So in the end, the winners are the corporations that would be rivaled by hemp. All companies including oil refineries, textile mills, paper manufactures, plastic producing companies and many others who benefit from making environmentally harmful products would be forced out of business or would have to change their ways.
The only other beneficiaries are those, such as people at the DEA, that take on the moral crusade against a product which does not even result in intoxication. Yes, hemp does contain THC, but there is not enough to experience any psychological effects. The benefits, which include the nutritional value of the hemp seed, far outweigh the negative consequences, if there are any to begin with. Legalization of industrial hemp will not lead to increased marijuana usage as some fear, a fear left over the early years of marijuana prohibition in the 1920s and 1930s, and instead it will only benefit the economy, environment and individuals of this country.
Weekly columnist Greg Pivarnik is an 8th-semester molecular and cell biology major. His columns run on Tuesdays. He can be contacted at Gregory.Pivarnik@UConn.edu
So the essential question in the end is - who benefits from hemp prohibition? Well, it is not the environment or the citizens. Hemp is a quick growing, renewable, and biodegradable resource, with health benefits that have been documented in human history for over ten thousand years. This includes the United States where it was grown during the colonial era and World War II. So in the end, the winners are the corporations that would be rivaled by hemp. All companies including oil refineries, textile mills, paper manufactures, plastic producing companies and many others who benefit from making environmentally harmful products would be forced out of business or would have to change their ways.
The only other beneficiaries are those, such as people at the DEA, that take on the moral crusade against a product which does not even result in intoxication. Yes, hemp does contain THC, but there is not enough to experience any psychological effects. The benefits, which include the nutritional value of the hemp seed, far outweigh the negative consequences, if there are any to begin with. Legalization of industrial hemp will not lead to increased marijuana usage as some fear, a fear left over the early years of marijuana prohibition in the 1920s and 1930s, and instead it will only benefit the economy, environment and individuals of this country.
Weekly columnist Greg Pivarnik is an 8th-semester molecular and cell biology major. His columns run on Tuesdays. He can be contacted at Gregory.Pivarnik@UConn.edu
Viewing Comments 1 - 6 of 6
Tom Murphy
posted 2/26/08 @ 10:03 AM EST
More information on this amazing plant is available at Vote Hemp http://www.votehemp.com and the Hemp Industries Association http://www.thehia.org
Robert Robinson/ModernHemp
posted 2/26/08 @ 11:49 AM EST
I dispute this statement.
"The only hemp products that are allowed in this country are ones that are manufactured outside of it."
Although it is currently illegal to "grow" hemp, in the US, Many companies are manufacturing hemp products here. (Continued…)
Rob/ModernHemp
Robert Robinson/ModernHemp
posted 2/26/08 @ 11:52 AM EST
I dispute this statement.
"The only hemp products that are allowed in this country are ones that are manufactured outside of it."
Although it is currently illegal to "grow" hemp, in the US, Many companies are manufacturing hemp products here. (Continued…)
Mark Candaras
posted 2/26/08 @ 12:48 PM EST
Great article, Greg!! Keep spreading the news!
Kim O'Brien
posted 2/26/08 @ 12:58 PM EST
The Drug laws are very punitive in this country and others. While I oppose these harch laws. I advise anyone who is thinking of using marijuana not to. (Continued…)
wingtip
posted 3/01/08 @ 10:39 AM EST
Initiatives
Attorney Gen. File #: 2007-064
California Cannabis Hemp & Health Initiative 2008
Legalization of Marijuana-Related Activities. The initiative provides that no per-son, individual, or corporate entity could be prosecuted for the possession, cultivation, transportation, distribution, or consumption of cannabis hemp, including hemp industrial products, hemp medicinal preparations, hemp nutritional products, and hemp religious or recreational products. (Continued…)
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