With Hemp Fiber being the strongest and most versatile fiber on the planet, it has the power to change our Industrial and Environmental reality. Why we are not moving directly into this industry as a part of our GO GREEN and flourish plan is bewildering. HEMP is the carbon capture technology plan, what are they waiting for?
Why are we not focused on growing hemp around the world and producing a MEGA HEMP FIBER Industry?
When it comes to hemp, hemp fiber is the new emerging industrial solution for the sustainability of our future. Beit industry, economics, environmental stabilization or wellness, Hemp provides the most natural and economic and environmental solutions for the planet. Knowing this, the question is, why are we not growing hemp fiber every where?
After all hemp is a weed, a long stocky weed that grows 8 to 12ft tall in 12 to 14 weeks, in most climates. While growing hemp it pulls CO2 from the atmosphere while emitting oxygen at the same time. Hemp is the one of the strongest fibers on the planet. Hemp fiber can become paper, plastic, clothing, shoes, housing, supercapacitors, horse bedding, biofuel and a myriad of other products. With just a few of these hemp industries we can begin to regain the eco balance of our planet and as importantly, provide a new plan with a naturally flourishing plant ~ economics, trade, and most importantly solutions?
Darlene Mea
Hemp provides a plan of sustainability, economics and environment.
Hemp is the game changer for our world
Why are we ‘not’ planting our farms with hemp fiber in the US? Why are we ‘not’ repurposing warehouses across the US for this epic Hemp industrial revolutionary solution? Why are we not looking to hemp instead of cutting down forest trees which we need for the oxygen they provide. Why are we still producing most products from petrochemical when they are toxic to everything but financial gain. Why should we continue to use up our earth resources when we can grow hemp fiber for paper, plastics, grafite, oil remediation, clothing, construction, and even bridges that take us to a land of sustainability for all!
Below is the latest information regarding the largest landowners in the United States. Perhaps they’re not aware of this looming multi-trillion dollar hemp industry emerging slowly into our world. It seems to be, I’m proposing, there’s a monopoly of farm landowners and the petrochemical industrial complex? What does that mean, we’ll see!
According to the Land Report, which bills itself as the “Magazine of the American Landowner,” Gates has amassed 242,000 in farmland acreage. Gates and his wife Melinda own a total of 268,984 acres of land, most of which includes the farmland, along with 25,750 acres of transitional land and 1,234 acres of recreational land.
Part of that land is in Arkansas. The Gates family owns 47,927 acres in Arkansas, according to the Land Report. This acreage accounts for 17.8 percent of the family’s total land holdings. The report did not specify if the Arkansas land was all farmland.
Arkansas had the second-most land owned by the Gates family, after Louisiana. In the Bayou State, the Gates family reportedly own 69,071 acres of land, making up approximately 25.68 percent of the family’s overall land holdings.
The Land Report article provides an in-depth look at how editors tracked down Gates’ farmland acquisitions.
We’re showing this so you can ponder with us… what’s this all about? Why so much land? Wouldn’t it be incredible if they fueled the hemp industry and began farming hemp? What if other big players decided to repurpose America for hemp product manufacturing?
As the CEO of HempingtonPost I can see a future entirely possible and at the same time I know life, on many levels is a big monopoly game. So maybe it’s the big player’s that do get in this industry and make most of the money, as they do? Yet still, we would have new industry, greater economics for all, and a way forward to a natural sustainable future. The important part is timing – Now is the time!
The UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) took a number of decisions on Wednesday, leading to changes in the way cannabis is internationally regulated, including its reclassification out of the most dangerous category of drugs.
In reviewing a series of World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations on marijuana and its derivatives, the CND zeroed-in on the decision to remove cannabis from Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs — where it was listed alongside deadly, addictive opioids, including heroin.
The CND’s 53 Member States voted to removed cannabis – where it had been placed for 59 years – from the strictest control schedules, that even discouraged its use for medical purposes.
With an historic vote of 27 in favour, 25 against, and one abstention, the CND has opened the door to recognizing the medicinal and therapeutic potential of the commonly-used but still largely illegal recreational drug.
Moreover, according to news reports, the decision could also drive additional scientific research into the plant’s long-heralded medicinal properties and act as catalyst for countries to legalize the drug for medicinal use, and reconsider laws on its recreational use.
Long wait
Back in January 2019, WHO unveiled six WHO recommendations surrounding the scheduling of cannabis in UN drug control treaties.
While the proposals were originally set to be voted on during the CND’s March 2019 session, many countries had requested more time to study the endorsements and define their positions, according to news reports.
Among WHO’s many points, it clarified that cannabidiol (CBD) – a non-intoxicating compound – is not subject to international controls. CBD has taken on a prominent role in wellness therapies in recent years, and sparked a billion-dollar industry.
Currently, more than 50 countries have adopted medicinal cannabis programmes while Canada, Uruguay and 15 US states have legalized its recreational use, with Mexico and Luxembourg close to becoming the third and fourth countries to do so.
Where they stand
After voting, some countries made statements on their stances.
Ecuador supported all of WHO’s recommendations and urged that cannabis production, sale and use, have “a regulatory framework that guarantees good practices, quality, innovation and research development”.
Meanwhile, the United States voted to remove cannabis from Schedule IV of the Single Convention while retaining them in Schedule I, saying it is “consistent with the science demonstrating that while a safe and effective cannabis-derived therapeutic has been developed, cannabis itself continues to pose significant risks to public health and should continue to be controlled under the international drug control conventions”.
Voting against, Chile argued, among other things, that “there is a direct relationship between the use of cannabis and increased chances of suffering from depression, cognitive deficit, anxiety, psychotic symptoms, among others” while Japan stated that the non-medical use of the plant “might give rise to negative health and social impacts, especially among youth”.
This comes on the heels of Canada’s historic legalization several years ago, which has created a viable international marketplace, channeling funds through the Canadian markets and effectively mobilizing the global cannabis industry.
When Canada legalized, the U.S. missed an opportunity to ensure that NASDAQ and the New York Stock Exchange would have a role in controlling the financial markets and dollars funneling into cannabis. This was expected since Jeff Sessions was in control of the Department of Justice (DOJ). We didn’t necessarily have a pro-cannabis Administration under Trump and certainly not under the leadership of Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, no friend to marijuana. Despite this, what are the implications for America doing business with partners directly to the north and south?
At first, you might think none of this matters as the U.S. has legalized adult-use marijuana programs state-by-state. While this dispensary models still violates federal law, it has garnered bipartisan support from American politicians to prevent the DOJ from interfering with legal, state marijuana businesses. But the issue is much larger.
We’re talking about a global cannabis economy, with Mexico as the largest country in the world, by population, to legalize marijuana. Mexico will boast the biggest consumer market for cannabis products — with a population of more than 125 million people – representing an enormous leap forward for the developing international cannabis marketplace.
A few steps remain to federally legalize marijuana in Mexico, but the bill has been approved by the Mexican Senate. The bill will establish a regulated cannabis market to allow those eighteen and older to purchase and possess up to 28 grams of marijuana. It also allows a personal cultivation provision for individuals to cultivate up to four plants for personal use. Some technical requirements still need to be hammered out before outright passage, including whether or not personal use cultivation needs to be tracked by the government.
Mexico is not the first country with a narco or cartel trafficking history to pass cannabis legalization. It’s happened in numerous Latin America countries that made up part of the black market drug trade. This makes the cartel implications for federal marijuana legalization extraordinarily interesting.
Mexico seeks to regulate and legalize the plant, put strict controls on ownership and the supply chain in place, and to engage in domestic and, most importantly, international commerce surrounding marijuana. The dollars invested in this industry must comply with all forms of financial source verification — theoretically mitigating the opportunity for organized crime to participate in this business.
Until late 2019, the Hoban Law Group had registered a number of cannabinoid CBD manufacturers’ products with COFEPRIS, Mexico’s FDA, when things were put on pause to finish up the legislation. If hemp is indeed excluded from the final bill, it would have ramifications for the cannabinoid and CBD industry in Mexico.
Why would those other industries see industrial hemp as a threat? A significant sector of Mexico’s economy is the maquiladoras: local factories run by foreign companies, generally tapping into Mexico’s cheap labor and manufacturing goods for export. Some large maquiladoras have already begun utilizing hemp, including BMW and Levi’s, which have facilities in Mexico. Automotive and textile Industries are major players in the world, but industrial hemp would not displace them. It would complement the existing operations and provide farmers with a more versatile plant requiring less water.
Mexico has a well-documented history of cannabis usage, but will these consumers move their buying habits into a legal, commercial marketplace? The answer is likely yes — if there are medical marijuana distribution outlets selling products created through a regulated system. And will this system displace some of the large illicit cultivation operations across Mexico?
Mexico hopes to join other Latin American countries in becoming major forces in the global cannabis industry and to address the cultural and historically illicit implications of cartel and criminal activity surrounding the plant. How this will roll out and its effectiveness remains to be seen.
Pair the skill set of Mexico’s farmers and agricultural industry with the country’s manufacturing capabilities and an international cannabis marketplace and the pieces could fall into a very favorable place for the nation’s economy and citizenry.
For the now-sandwiched U.S., this will have major implications for American drug policy and cannabis reform moving forward — while perhaps generating hundreds of millions of dollars for the participants. Perhaps this will give U.S. policy makers the push they need to approve federal cannabis legalization, especially in the midst of a pandemic-induced, global economic downturn.
By Robert Hoban. This story first appeared at Forbes.com
New Jersey is expected to approve a ballot initiative to legalize adult-use (aka recreational) marijuana on Election Day next month. Aside from stoking up the 61% of likely Garden State voters in favor of the measure, its passage is projected to generate up to $400 million in adult-use sales in its first year and $950 million by 2024, translating then to nearly $63 million in annual state tax revenue and an additional $19 million in local taxes, as estimated by Marijuana Business Daily. In an economy shattered by the coronavirus pandemic, legal weed looks like a great idea.
That may not be the only good news for legalization proponents after Nov. 3. They’re hoping New Jersey’s pro-pot vote will trigger a domino effect in neighboring states considering similar efforts. “Once New Jersey goes, it’s going to set off an arms race along the East Coast, putting New York, Connecticut and Pennsylvania on the clock,” said DeVaughn Ward, senior legislative counsel for the Marijuana Policy Project, a cannabis advocacy group in Hartford.
Those three states already permit medicinal marijuana sales and have been moving toward legalizing adult-use for several years, considering tax revenue, job creation and the will of the majority of residents in favor of full legalization. The legislative stars appeared aligned following the 2018 midterm elections’ blue wave, yet ultimately there weren’t enough yea votes in the respective state houses last year. Then the pandemic hit in March, keeping legalization bills in lockdown until next year.
Three additional states — Arizona, South Dakota and Montana — have adult-use legalization initiatives on their November ballots, and Mississippians will vote on a bill allowing medicinal sales. If all five measures pass, medicinal marijuana will be legal in 38 states, as well as Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, and adult-use in 14 of those, plus D.C.
Legalization is another leg on the long, strange trip the U.S. cannabis industry is experiencing in the Year of Covid. Marijuana sales have gone up during the pandemic, thanks to stay-at-home orders and federal stimulus money. And the prospects for continued growth are high.
Total cannabis sales in the U.S. this year are projected to reach $15.8 billion, according to Arcview Market Research/BDSA, up from $12.1 billion in 2019. In adult-use states, the numbers are eye-popping. Illinois, for instance, recently reported its fifth straight month of record-breaking marijuana sales, which hit $67 million in September. Oregon has seen adult-use sales rise 30% above forecast since the pandemic began, averaging $100 million a month over the summer.
“As a whole, the industry is doing fairly well,” said Chris Walsh, CEO of Marijuana Business Daily. “Some companies have struggled, but in general we haven’t seen an overwhelming number of layoffs or companies going out of business.” A big boost, he added, was that most states deemed cannabis businesses as essential during the pandemic. “They were able to stay open while the economy virtually came to a grinding halt,” Walsh said.
Even so, because marijuana remains illegal on the federal level, the industry was ineligible for funds distributed through the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program. “It’s just another irony on top of irony about how the country handles cannabis in general,” Walsh said. House Democrats have included the industry in previous and proposed Covid stimulus packages, but to no avail.
Federal stance on pot legalization
Depending on the outcome of next month’s presidential and Congressional elections, the likelihood of full federal legalization — which means removing it from its highly restrictive Schedule I drug classification under the Controlled Substances Act — could be greater than ever. What’s more, there’s a good chance that the rampant injustices inflicted during the nation’s nearly century-old cannabis prohibition, disproportionately upon people of color, may be overcome.
The Trump administration has had an enigmatic relationship with cannabis. It rescinded an Obama-era policy that prevented federal prosecutions for marijuana offenses and made immigrants ineligible for citizenship if they consume marijuana or work in the cannabis industry. Yet Trump has previously favored states’ rights to legalize pot and signed the 2018 Farm Bill that legalized hemp, its non-intoxicating variety. He’s running for reelection on a law-and-order platform and has never promoted federal legalization, so even if Congress turns solid blue, it’s hard to predict where he might come down on the issue.
Trump’s Democratic opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, has a complicated history with cannabis, too. As a senator, he championed the 1994 crime bill that sent tens of thousands of minor drug offenders to prison. Yet while serving as Obama’s vice president, the administration issued the Cole memo, which cleared the way for state-legal marijuana businesses to operate largely without federal interference. Biden and running mate Senator Kamala Harris support adult-use marijuana decriminalization, moderate rescheduling, federal medicinal legalization, allowing states to set their own laws and expunging prior cannabis convictions — though not federal legalization.
Harris and Rep. Jerry Nadler were co-sponsors last year of the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, which would remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act and eliminate criminal penalties under federal law. The MORE Act also would expedite expungements, impose a 5% tax on cannabis products to fund criminal and social reforms and prohibit the denial of any federal public benefits based on marijuana use. Congress was scheduled to vote on the bill in September, but it was delayed, probably until next year.
Alongside tax revenue and job creation, social justice reform is the strongest argument for legalization, on both the federal and state levels. Dating back to the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, criminalization and incarceration, especially of minorities, have been foundational to drug laws. “The war on drugs has historically and continues to disproportionately target communities of color,” said David Abernathy, vice president of research and consulting for Arcview Group, an Oakland-based firm that matches cannabis businesses and investors, who also is on the board of the Minority Cannabis Business Association.
Business opportunities in the cannabis market
While decriminalization and expungement are paramount to legalization, providing business opportunities for minorities in legal cannabis is equally vital, Abernathy said. “It’s harder for communities of color to participate in the industry as it gets better capitalized and folks from other industries move into it with their connections,” he said. That’s why there’s been pushback in some state initiatives that disqualify individuals with drug convictions from working with cannabis.
On the investment side of the equation, Abernathy noted that even before Covid, there was a significantly slower capital market than in recent years. But with the industry’s uptick during the pandemic, for some investors it’s been “a good place to put money in this volatile time,” he said. Next year, especially if legalization initiatives pass, “we expect this growth trend to continue.”
Another positive trend is the increasing sophistication of cannabis businesses, with publicly-traded companies such as Tilray, Cronos Group, Aurora Cannabis, GW Pharmaceuticalsand Canopy Growth as prime examples. They are among start-ups involved in medicinals, CBDs, edibles, vaping and smokable products, as well as cannabis cultivation and distribution, where allowed in the U.S. and other countries. If and when marijuana becomes federally legal in the U.S., those endemic players are likely to be joined by conventional food, beverage, tobacco and other consumer product companies that for years have been anticipating a multi-billion-dollar global cannabis market.
Additionally, the industry has the potential for significant job growth, said Aaron Smith, executive director of the National Cannabis Industry Association in Washington. There are already nearly 244,000 people working full-time in legal cannabis, according to a report by Leafly earlier this year, “but with new states coming on board and [possible] federal legalization, that could turn into tens of millions of jobs,” Smith said. “Given the state of the economy, policy makers and voters ought to look to this industry for its economic potential.”
You definitely learned a thing or two about these notable figures during your classroom studies, but we bet your teacher didn’t mention that they all smoked weed. We’re here to school you.
People love smoking weed. They always have, and they always will. So, it should come as no surprise that some of our favorite historical figures we learned about in school dabbled in the recreational (and medicinal!) cannabis scene.
While these historical celebrities probably didn’t quite use the Tsunami 1000X Vaporizer Pen, they certainly got the job done somehow. Here are some of the most notable examples, from George Washington to Joan of Arc.
George Washington
After founding our nation, Washington retired to a farm in Mount Vernon. There, he mostly grew hemp. Entries in Washington’s diary strongly suggest he had an affinity for the medical use of marijuana.
Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc was burned at the stake for heresy, having claimed to receive visions and messages from the Archangel Michael. Although there’s no written record of Joan of Arc consuming cannabis, she came from a village that was well-known for its medicinal herbs, including cannabis.
Shakespeare
At Shakespeare’s home in Stratford-Upon-Avon, researchers found clay pipes with cannabis residue. When you combine that with the mention of a ‘noted weed’ in one of his sonnets, it’s not hard to imagine Shakespeare enjoying a hand-rolled while doing his writing. Our take? Imagine Hamlet if Shakespeare had an Arcatek Button Cube at his disposal, instead of some old clay pipes.
Alexandre Dumas
Although known primarily for The Three Musketeers andThe Count of Monte Cristo, Dumas was also a hash enthusiast. In fact, he even helped found an organization called the Club des Hashishchins. In English? The Club of Hash-Eaters.
Pharaohs of Egypt
Egyptian civilization lasted nearly 3000 years, during which time a great number of pharaohs ruled the land around the Nile. When researchers examined the mummy of Ramesses II, cannabis pollen was found in abundance. In addition, medical records from the Egyptians also describe numerous uses for cannabis.
JFK
This one isn’t exactly a secret. Predating the drug war, JFK was said to use marijuana to cope with back pain. In fact, one account from John F. Kennedy: A Biography tells of JFK enjoying three joints with a woman named Mary Meyer. Perhaps it’s for the best that JFK existed before he could get his hands on a Tsunami Microscope Waterpipe.
Carl Sagan
At age 35, astronomer Carl Sagan wrote an essay under a pen name advocating for the legalization of marijuana. In fact, his wife even served on the board of directors at NORML.
Christopher Columbus
When Columbus set sail for the New World, it’s said that he made sure to bring plenty of cannabis seeds. If his crew were to get shipwrecked or marooned, at least they could plant some crops.
Hua Tuo
You may not have heard of him, but Hua Tuo is known for having invented the world’s first anesthetic. The recipe? Powdered cannabis mixed with wine. While it’s not great by modern medicine’s standards, it does sound like a good time.
Queen Victoria
Despite being a symbol of everything prim and proper, Queen Victoria was certainly given cannabis for its medicinal purposes. In fact, her private doctor even went on record as saying: “When pure and administered carefully, [cannabis] is one of the most valuable medicines we possess.”
In 2018, I plunged down the rabbit hole of Industrial Hemp and have since worked in the Southern Oregon region promoting education, networking and business development for the Hemp & Cannabis Community.
As this crop’s journey from contraband to commodity unfolds, we’ve been given even more reasons to be enthusiastic about its future. CBD sales are surging worldwide amid the COVID-19 pandemic as people grasp for better ways to manage stress. Oregon data showed average dispensary purchases increased by 40% in the thick of the lockdown here, with close to $100 million in sales for the month of April.
That means tax dollars pouring into state coffers during a time when other business sectors are suffering amid closures and slow re-openings. We are living through a time when pivoting is necessary to survival and growth, and if we can accelerate our best practice development as an industry, COVID-19 may just be the window of opportunity we needed.
Since the beginning of my work in hemp education, I’ve seen that it does take a village to come together and carry forward the promise of this powerful plant. During the time I produced the Hemp University series at Southern Oregon University, I had the honor of curating our region’s best minds and talents to share their expertise with the wider national and international hemp community.
When COVID hit, I pivoted just like everyone else and shifted my activities online with the production of the Hemp Symposium Due Diligence Series. Starting in May, we featured Farmer Tom Lauerman of Farmer Tom Organics and Damian Moran of the Amota Group/Hemp Exchange giving a pre-planting overview to participants from all over the world.
In partnership with UPLVL and Hempington Post, we’ll be offering another edition on Friday, July 10, from 1-3 PM. Focusing on “Mid-Season Strategies”-Integrated Pest and Nutrient Management and Pollen/Sexing, the free webinar will present the wisdom of two Oregonian hemp veterans, Emily Gogol of Infinite Tree and Eviane Ita-Coton of Ebb and Flow Farms.
Participants will have the opportunity to take a brief assessment over the symposium topics on the UPLVL Cannabis Learning Platform and earn a micro-certificate in Mid-Season Due Diligence.
So, comejoin the village on july 10 as we continue to work together and position this crop for the destiny we all know it has – as a sustainable commodity with the power to bring us the food, fuel, fiber and medicine for a New Era.
