Time 4 Hemp

About me

I am one of the Hemp Activists who helped to write the California Hemp Initiative which passed in 1991 making it legal to have 6 plants or less growing in your home for medical reasons. This made California the first state in the nation to pass such a law.

I am the producer/host of the television series: 'Time 4 Hemp.' You can view and freely download over 60 video clips from my television series on my web site: http://www.Time4Hemp.com Some of my guests were: Willie Nelson; Dr. Tim Leary; Steve Bloom (editor of high Times Magazine); and Keith Stroup (founder of NORML).

I also participated in the UCLA Smoked Marijuana study funded by the United States government. Due to the nature of the study, I am the only participant
ever allowed to be filmed in a legal smoking marijuana study as provided to the smoker by the United States Government for the purpose of scientific research. (Three video clips of my involvement in this study are also found on the Time4Hemp.com web site.)

According to the UCLA study, headed by Dr. Donald Tashkin and conducted between the years of 1969-1997, cannabis hemp is the best natural expectorant to clear the human lungs of smog, dust, and the phlegm associated with tobacco use.

Smoking cannabis hemp effectively dilates the airways of the lungs, the bronchi, opening them to allow more oxygen into the lungs. It is also the best natural dilator of the tiny airways in the lungs, the bronchial tubes (making cannabis hemp the best overall bronchial dilator for 80% of the population).

This study also indicates that people who smoke cannabis hemp are less prone to suffer heart attacks and strokes. The use of cannabis hemp lowers the blood pressure, dilates the arteries, and reduces body temperature an average of one-half degree, thereby relieving stress. This means that using cannabis hemp could actually prolong life expectancy!

The first marijuana law was enacted in Jamestown, Virginia in 1619 requiring all farmers to grow Indian hemp seed. More mandatory hemp cultivation laws were enacted in Massachusetts in 1631, in Connecticut in 1632 and in the Chesapeake Colonies into the mid-1700s. Why? Because over 50,000 different products (from paper and cloth to oil and food) can be made from the hemp plant.

Hemp was considered legal tender in most of America from 1631 until the early 1800's. You could pay your taxes with hemp throughout the country for over 200 years. Ben Franklin started one of America's first paper mills using hemp and our National Anthem, The Star Spangled Banner was written about a Hemp flag over Baltimore Harbor. The Battle was 1812 and the British wanted American Hemp for their Navy to fight Napoleon. Various hemp extracts were used in some of the most prescribed medicines until the 1890's. Eli Lilly, Parker-Davis, Smith Brothers, Squibb and several major European companies produced medicines with hemp extract.

In 1916, the US Department of Agriculture released Bulletin 404 that predicted: "Once a decorticating and harvesting machine is developed, cannabis (hemp) will become America's largest agricultural industry." The Bulletin also states that: "One acre of hemp yields as much pulp for paper as 4.1 acres of trees."

Searching through the records of the WW II Production Rates, it's discovered that: "One acre of hemp is the equivalent to 10-15 barrels of oil."

Government reports from 1934 show that 62,813,000 pounds of hemp seed were imported into the US; and in 1935, 116 million pounds (58,000 tons) of hemp seed was used in America by the DuPont Petro-/Chemical company to produce non-toxic paint and varnish.

My work

The hemp plant has a much-overlooked history. It's a plant that allowed countries to be discovered, kept economies from collapsing, allowed armies to survive, and prevented entire nations from dying of famine. Van Gogh painted masters on canvass made from the stalk with paints made from the seed oil and pigment. George Washington, Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson grew it. Abraham Lincoln read by lamps that burned it. Ben Franklin started one of America's first paper-mills using it. Levi-Strauss built an empire making clothes from it. In 1776, the first and second drafts of the Declaration of Independence were written on paper made of hemp. In 1781, Gov. Thomas Jefferson was obliged to pay for war goods with bails of hemp. In 1792, Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton urged Congress to place an import tariff against hemp at $20 per ton in order to stimulate domestic production of the plant.

In the Feb. 1938, POPULAR MECHANICS reported in the article 'New Billion Dollar Crop'

"Hemp is the standard fiber of the world. It has great tensile strength and durability. It is used to produce more than 5,000 textile products ranging from rope to fine laces, and woody 'hurds' reaming after the fiber has been removed contains more than 70% cellulose, and can be used to produce more than 25,000 products ranging from dynamite to Cellophane."

"From the farmer's point of view, hemp is an easy crop to grow and will yield from 3-6 tons per acre on any land that will grow corn, wheat or oats. It has a short growing season, so that it can be planted after others crops are in. It can be grown in any state in the Union. The long roots penetrate and break the soil to leave it in perfect condition for the next year's crop."

From records kept by the Ford Motor Co. in the 1930's, we learn that Ford Motor successfully operated a biomass production plant in Michigan. It was there that Henry Ford learned how competitive fuel created from hemp seed was to that of fossil fuel and began preparing to become part of the methanol industry. Henry even grew hemp on his estate long after the plant was outlawed in 1937 in order to prove the cheapness on methanol use. He soon realized that 90% of all fossil fuel used in the world could be replaced with biomass fuel created from hemp. Ford's biomass car not only ran on fuel derived from the hemp seed but the auto body (as well as some parts of the interior) were made of plastics derived from the same oils found in the seed.

Oil barons such as Rockefeller of Standard Oil and Rothschild of Shell became nervous of Ford's development of methanol and kept oil prices so low that no other energy source could compete with them until the 1970's.

In 2001, the manufactures at Volkswagen and at BMW began using the oils found in the hemp seed to create the plastics they use for auto body production. In doing so, they have created an auto body that is lighter, yet stronger, than steel. This reduces the cost of production and allows these companies to be more competitive AGAINST the American worker on the open market.

The first marijuana law was enacted in Jamestown, Virginia in 1619 requiring all farmers to grow Indian hemp seed. More mandatory hemp cultivation laws were enacted in Massachusetts in 1631, in Connecticut in 1632 and in the Chesapeake Colonies into the mid-1700s. Why? Because over 50,000 different products (from paper and cloth to oil and food) can be made from the hemp plant.

Hemp was considered legal tender in most of America from 1631 until the early 1800's. You could pay your taxes with hemp throughout the country for over 200 years. Ben Franklin started one of America's first paper mills using hemp and our National Anthem, The Star Spangled Banner was written about a Hemp flag over Baltimore Harbor. The Battle was 1812 and the British wanted American Hemp for their Navy to fight Napoleon. Various hemp extracts were used in some of the most prescribed medicines until the 1890's. Eli Lilly, Parker-Davis, Smith Brothers, Squibb and several major European companies produced medicines with hemp extract.

In 1916, the US Department of Agriculture released Bulletin 404 that predicted: "Once a decorticating and harvesting machine is developed, cannabis (hemp) will become America's largest agricultural industry." The Bulletin also states that: "One acre of hemp yields as much pulp for paper as 4.1 acres of trees."

Searching through the records of the WW II Production Rates, it's discovered that: "One acre of hemp is the equivalent to 10-15 barrels of oil."

Government reports from 1934 show that 62,813,000 pounds of hemp seed were imported into the US; and in 1935, 116 million pounds (58,000 tons) of hemp seed was used in America by the DuPont Petro-/Chemical company to produce non-toxic paint and varnish.

In 1942, five years after hemp had been outlawed, the United States Department of Agriculture released the film; 'Hemp for Victory' citing the many products that can be made from the plant and the proper way to produce a crop. The film's narrative makes a plea to American farmers to sow as many acres of hemp as they can:

"A 44-gun frigate like our cherished 'Old Ironsides' took over 60 tons of hemp for rigging, including an anchor cable 25-inches in circumference. The Conestoga wagons and prairie schooners of pioneer days were covered with hemp canvas. Indeed, the very word 'canvas' comes from the Arabic word for hemp. In those days, hemp was an important crop in Kentucky and Missouri. Then came cheaper imported fibers for cordage like jute, sisal and Manila hemp, and the culture of hemp in America declined."

"But now, with Philippine and East Indian sources of hemp in the hands of the Japanese, the shipment of jute from India curtailed, American hemp must meet the needs of our Army and Navy, as well as of our industry. In 1942, patriotic farmers at the government's request planted 36,000 acres of seed hemp, an increase of several thousand percent. The goal for 1943 is 50,000 acres of seed hemp!"

When President George H. Bush (Number 41) bailed out of his burning airplane after a battle over the Pacific during WW II, little did he realize that parts of his aircraft engine were lubricated with hemp seed oil. All of his life-saving parachute webbing was made from hemp. Nearly all the rigging and ropes of the ship that pulled him into safety were made of hemp. The fire hoses on the ship were woven from hemp. The thread used in the durable stitching of his shoes was made of hemp.

Of the 3 million or more edible plants in Nature, no other single plant source can compare with the complete protein and essential oils contained in hemp seeds. The hemp seed contains all the essential amino acids in ideal proportions to assure your body has the necessary building blocks it needs. In 1937, Ralph Loziers, general counsel of the National Institute of Oilseed Products, told the Congressional committee studying marijuana prohibition: "Hemp seed is used in all the Oriental nations and parts of Russia as a food in the forms of oatmeal, porridge, and soups. They have been doing so for many generations, especially in periods of famine"

The byproduct of pressing hemp seed for its nutritious vegetable oil is a high protein seed cake. Hemp seed cake was one of the world's primary animal feeds until this century because it also supplies a nearly complete diet for domesticated animals.

Ninety percent of all ship sails and ropes made between the 5th Century B.C until the middle of the 19th Century were made from hemp. Even the sailors' clothes (right down to the stitching in their rope-soled shoes) were crafted from hemp.

Until the late 1800's, eighty percent of all textiles and fabrics were made from hemp.

Until the mid-1800's, virtually all paints and varnishes were made with hemp seed oil. Hemp seed oil was the most consumed lighting oil for lamps in the world.

Hemp seed cake was used to feed many starving people worldwide until the early 1900's.

Methanol fuel can be created from hemp and used to help free us from our dependence on fossil fuel.

All products made of plastic can be created from hemp instead of fossil fuel as well.

All goods made of paper can be created from this plant and free us from having to destroy so many trees.

Hemp extract has proven to have medical benefits to thousands of the sick and dying.

Billions of dollars are made each year by foreign countries off the recreational uses of hemp enjoyed by the American consumer. That's money being taken straight out of the pockets of American farmers. Add to this, the billions that could be earned by our farmers from growing this plant to produce the other 50,000 products it's used for and it becomes easy to see the impact re-legalizing it would have on the economy in America.

If we were to re-legalize hemp, we could also stop spending the billions of dollars we now spend on enforcing the laws that have evolved out of the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act like the controlled substances Acts of 1968,1969,1970 and the Omnibus Crime package of 1990. Each year, taxpayers provide the salaries, perks, and materials to: politicians who create these laws; law enforcement agencies to enforce these laws; judges and prosecutors for trials; prison staff to oversee inmate population; as well as the recreational facilities, food, clothes, medical care and housing for the inmate population.

To paraphrase President Lincoln, prohibition goes beyond the realms or reason because it attempts to legislate a mans tastes and makes a crime of things that are not crimes. Literally it only servers to make criminals out of law-abiding citizens.

In 1998, Canada re-legalized the growing of hemp for the use of product production. Our neighbors are now making paper, fiber, and fuel with this plant and are creating a billion dollar industry that the American worker strives to achieve - but can't since our government has insisted on keeping this valuable plant outlawed.

If you feel that it is time for hemp to be re-legalized and for our country to follow the example set by Canada, please visit the web site, Time4Hemp.com. There you will find hemp-education tools available for you to use to open the minds of the people around you, and materials you can send to members of the Congress, Senate, and White House as well as to your local elected officials. We are also organizing a few demonstrations and fund-raisers through out the year and encourage you to join us in our efforts in your own community.