mirror-textfiles.com/drugs/MARYJANE/hempcure.txt

THE GOOD NEWS IS WE'VE FOUND A PLANT THAT CAN SAVE THE WORLD
... THE BAD NEWS IS IT'S ILLEGAL!

BY JOSEPH F CRIGGER JR.
PO BOX 1226
SEVERNA PARK MD 21146



INTRODUCTION:

     THE TITLE OF THIS COMPUTER TEXT FILE MAY SEEM LIKE IT IS A "HUMOR" FILE.
THIS IS FAR FROM THE TRUTH.  THE INFORMATION IN THIS FILE IS TRUE TO THE BEST
OF MY KNOWLEDGE.  PLEASE TRY TO KEEP AN OPEN MIND WHEN READING THIS FILE.

     HEMP WAS ONE OF THE FIRST PLANTS EVER CULTIVATED BY MAN, DATING BACK TO
2700 B.C.  IT WAS PROBABLY FIRST CULTIVATED BECAUSE OF THE EASE IN MAKING PAPER
FROM IT.  THROUGHOUT HISTORY, HEMP HAS BEEN IN HIGH DEMAND.  UNTIL THE 1800'S
80 PERCENT OF THE WORLD'S PAPER WAS MADE FROM HEMP.  UNTIL SYNTHETIC FIBERS
CAME, VIRTUALLY ALL SAIL CLOTHES AND ROPES WERE MADE FROM HEMP.  ALMOST ALL
BIBLE'S WERE PRINTED ON HEMP PRIOR TO THE 19TH CENTURY (SEE HISTORY.TXT FOR A
MORE DETAILED LOOK AT THE HISTORY OF MARIJUANA).

     AROUND THE 1930'S HEMP GOT A NEW NAME, MARIJUANA.  IT WAS CONSIDERED A
DEMON AND WAS SLANDER FALSELY BY TOP GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS.  "GUTTER SCIENCE"
GAVE FALSIFIED REPORTS ON HEMP, AND ONE OF THE MOST COMMON WEEDS ON THE FACE OF
THIS EARTH BECAME AN ENDANGERED SPICES IN 1937 WHEN THE "MARIJUANA TAX ACT"
STARTED A FEDERAL PROBATION ON THE PLANT.  WELL, NOW IT IS TIME TO TAKE A
SECOND LOOK AT THIS PLANT.  THIS FILE IS A START, BUT I ENCOURAGE YOU TO FIND
OUT MORE.


HEMP PAPER:

     IN 1916 THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE PUBLISHED "BULLETIN
#404" BY LESTER H. DEWEY (THEN BOTANIST IN CHARGE OF FIBER-PLANT
INVESTIGATIONS) AND JASON L. MERRILL (THEN PAPER-PLANT CHEMIST, PAPER-PLANT
INVESTIGATIONS) {EDITORS NOTE: A REPRINT OF THIS BULLETIN IS AVAILABLE ON PAGE
118 OF "THE EMPEROR WEARS NO CLOTHES", LISTED IN RESEARCH.TXT}.  IN THIS
REPORT, THEY CONCLUDED THAT ONE ACRE OF HEMP COULD PRODUCE THE SAME AMOUNT OF
PAPER THAT 4.1 ACRES OF TRESS COULD OVER A TWENTY YEAR PERIOD OF TIME.  THEIR
REASONING WAS THAT IN TWENTY YEARS, YOU COULD HARVEST HEMP 20 TIMES, WHEN A
TREE COULD BE HARVESTED ONLY ONCE.

     IN ADDITION TO AN ALTERNATIVE TO TREES FOR PAPER, HEMP PAPER IS ALSO SAFER
ON THE ENVIRONMENT.  LIGNIN ARE FOUND IN WOODY PLANETS AND ACT LIKE A GLUE
TO HOLD THE PULP TOGETHER.  IN ORDER TO GET THE PULP FROM THE TREE, YOU NEED TO
BREAK DOWN THE LEGMEN.  SULFUR-BASED ACID CHEMICALS ARE USED FOR THIS. ONCE THE
LEGMEN ARE BROKE DOWN, THE CHEMICALS ARE THEN DISPOSED OF.  NORMALLY, THIS
MEANS DUMPING THEM INTO A RIVER OR SOME OTHER FORM OF ENVIRONMENTALLY DANGEROUS
METHOD.  THE PROCESS USED IN PAPER-MAKING FROM HEMP WOULD USE 1/4 TO 1/7
(DEPENDING ON THE GRADE OF PAPER AND THE STRAIN OF HEMP) LESS OF THESE
CHEMICALS, OR NONE AT ALL BY USING SODA ASH.

     ADDITIONALLY, YOU DO NOT NEED TO BLEACH HEMP IN ORDER TO GET WHITE PAPER,
UNLIKE PAPER THAT IS MADE FROM TREES.  HEMP PAPER IS NATURALLY BESIEGE, AND BY
USING HYDROGEN PEROXIDE IT WILL BECOME WHITE.  LESS HYDROGEN PEROXIDE IS ON
HEMP THEN BLEACH IS USED ON TREES.  PLUS, HYDROGEN PEROXIDE CAN BE USED SEVERAL
TIMES LONGER THAN BLEACH CAN.  AGAIN, THESE CHEMICALS ARE DISPOSED OF WHEN DON
WITH, NORMALLY IN AN ENVIRONMENTALLY HAZARDOUS METHOD.

     HEMP CAN BE USED TO MAKE EVERY GRADE OF PAPER THAT TREES CAN, INCLUDING
TOILET PAPER, COPY PAPER, AND POSTER BOARD.  HEMP PAPER CAN BE RECYCLED 10
TIMES, COMPARED TO 3 TIMES USING TREE PAPER.  PLUS, IN THE RECYCLING STAGE,
TREE PAPER IS BLEACHED AGAIN TO REGAIN WHITENESS, WHERE HEMP PAPER ONLY NEEDS
HYDROGEN PEROXIDE.  HEMP PAPER HAS A SHELF LIFE OF 200+ YEARS (THERE ARE BIBLES
STILL IN PRINT FROM OVER 200 YEARS AGO ON HEMP PAPER), WHERE TREE PAPER ONLY
LASTS 80 YEARS.  THE REASON FOR THIS IS THAT THE SULFUR-BASED CHEMICALS
CONTINUE TO BREAK DOWN THE TREE PAPER, EVEN AFTER THE PAGE IS PRINTED.



HEMP FIBER:

     IN THE MIDDLE OF A HEMP PLANT IS A LONG STRAND OF FIBER, CALLED THE TOW.
AN AVERAGE STRAND OF HEMP FIBER CAN BE TWELVE FEET LONG.  SEVERAL HEMP TOW'S
BRAIDED TOGETHER CAN PULL A SMALL CAR.  COMPARE THIS TO A COTTON BALL,
CURRENTLY THE WORLDS MOST USED NATURAL FIBER.

     HEMP FIBER IS ABOUT 10 TIMES STRONGER THAN COTTON FIBERS, AND IS 2 TIMES
AS SOFT.  THIS FIBER CAN BE TURNED INTO THREAD OR YARN, AND WOVEN INTO FABRIC.
HEMP CLOTHING IS GENERALLY MADE INTO DENIM TYPE GARMENTS.

     NATURAL FIBERS ARE MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY SAFE THAN SYNTHETIC FIBERS.
SYNTHETIC FIBERS ARE MADE FROM PETROLEUM AND CAN BE MELTED INTO PLASTIC.
SYNTHETIC FIBERS ARE NOT BIO-DEGRADABLE WHERE AS NATURAL FIBERS ARE BIO-
DEGRADABLE.  HEMP FIBERS, AS WELL AS SEVERAL OTHER NATURAL FIBERS, CAN EVEN BE
RE-CYCLED INTO PAPER.



HEMP FUEL:

     THROUGH THE USE OF METHANOL, THE UNITED STATES COULD AVOID DEPENDANCE OF
OIL COMPLETELY.  METHANOL IS A GAS GIVEN OFF DURING THE DECOMPOSING PROCESS.
WHEN YOU BURN HEMP STALKS (AND OTHER AGRICULTURE BY PRODUCTS) WITH HIGH HEAT
AND NO OXYGEN, METHANOL GAS IS GIVEN OFF.

     MOST RACING CARS TODAY RUN OFF OF METHANOL.  IN FACT, BRAZIL RAN ONE
MILLION TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND (1,200,000) AUTOMOBILES IN 1984 FROM METHANOL MADE
FROM SUGAR CANE STALKS.  CURRENTLY, THERE IS NOT ENOUGH METHANOL TO POWER THE
UNITED STATES.  HOWEVER, HEMP IS THE HIGHEST PRODUCING METHANOL CROP IN THE
WORLD, GIVING OFF FOUR TIMES AS MUCH METHANOL THAT CORN DOES, THE WORLDS SECOND
HIGHEST CELLULOSE PLANT, AND THROUGH LEGALIZATION WE COULD HAVE ENOUGH
METHANOL.

     BY FARMING 20 MILLION ACRES OF US FARM LAND, WE CAN PRODUCE ENOUGH
METHANOL TO RUN EVERY AUTOMOBILE IN THE US.  THERE ARE CURRENTLY 88 MILLION
ACRES OF LAND IN THE US FEDERAL SOIL BANK.  HEMP CAN ALSO BE GROWN AFTER A
FARMER HARVESTS HIS CORN OF OTHER CROP AND IN ROTATION THIS WILL ENHANCE HIS
SOIL'S NUTRIMENTS.

     METHANOL BURNS AT A HIGHER TEMPERATURE THAN GASOLINE, MEANING THAT
MODIFICATIONS TO THE ENGINE ARE REQUIRED (IE: VALUES MADE FROM A DIFFERENT
METAL SO THEY WILL NOT MELT, AND A BETTER COOLING SYSTEM) AND WOULD COST ABOUT
$2,000 MORE.  THIS WILL PAY BACK ITSELF, BECAUSE IF HEMP WERE LEGALIZED
METHANOL COULD BE RETAILED FOR ABOUT 15 CENTS A GALLON!

     METHANOL IS A CLEANER BURNING FUEL, SO YOUR ENGINE WOULD LAST LONGER.
PLUS, METHANOL ONLY GIVES OFF WATER VAPORS AND CARBON DIOXIDE WHEN BURNED.
AND, THEN FOLLOWING YEAR THE FARMERS HEMP CROP WILL TAKE IN THE CARBON DIOXIDE
IT GAVE OFF TO RE-BUILD THE CELL STRUCTURE.  THIS RESULTS IN A PERFECTLY
BALANCED ENERGY CYCLE THAT DOES NO DAMAGE TO OUR OZONE LAYER.



CONCLUSION:

     PLEASE CONSIDER THE RE-LEGALIZATION OF HEMP, AKA MARIJUANA.  THE
ENVIRONMENT IS TO IMPORTANT TO WASTE ON A MARGINAL PORTION OF THE POPULATION
THAT ENJOYS GETTING "HIGH".  WOULD YOU RATHER OUR PLANET DIE, OR OUR PEOPLE GET
HIGH?

     MAKE SURE YOU ARE REGISTERED TO VOTE.  IF YOU DON'T VOTE, YOU DON'T COUNT!
CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS CONCERNING THIS MATTER.  POINT IT OUT THE
INFORMATION TO THEM.  REMEMBER, THE ONLY WAY TO BEAT A FACT IS TO IGNORE IT, SO
DON'T LET THEM IGNORE YOU.  WHEN ELECTION'S ARE AROUND, TRY TO FIND OUT WHAT
POSITION THE CANDIDATES TAKE ON THIS ISSUE.  IF THE DEMOCRATS OR REPUBLICANS DO
NOT AGREE WITH YOUR POSITION, LOOK FOR GRASSROOTS CAMPAIGNS (SUCH AS THE
LIBERTARIAN PARTY).  INFORM YOUR FRIENDS AND RELATIVES ABOUT THE ISSUE.

     PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE WORKING  FOR THE
LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA.  GET ON THEIR MAILING LISTS, DONATE MONEY, VOLUNTEER
TIME, WHATEVER YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THE CAUSE.  YOU CAN FIND SOME LISTED IN
THE INCLUDED FILE RESEARCH.TXT.