Pillsbury predicts President-elect’s Barack Obama’s administration will lift the ban on growing hemp in the United States, and pointed out that it’s being grown in many other countries. “The new administration has a solid commitment to bring new and old ideas to the table for renewable energy,” he said. Industrial hemp is an ideal bioenergy, Pillsbury said, citing figures from Canada that show straw yields of 6 tons per hectare (2.47 acres) and 1.5 tons of fiber, in addition to 200 liters (50 gallons) of oil pressed from the seed.
I'm delirious from staying up all night writing a paper so I apologize in advance for any potential harm done by the joke subject line.
In all seriousness though, I absolutely support this initiative. There's simply ZERO reason not to fully research and develop an American hemp industry. We are basically ignoring a very economically viable input. It is utter insanity, IMO, and I think we could get Congress to pass it next year sometime without much of a big deal. Maybe I'm the crazy one, though. I could see Obama supporting the idea though--it's a very green industry that could employ tens of thousands of workers in a year's time, with probably not a ton of training. Of course, the industry will have to evolve but we can pump money into it and that money would PRODUCE instead of just going down the drain.
What do y'all think? Yay or nay?
I've never met a retarded person who wasn't smiling.
I'm okay with legalizing hemp, but to hear the way some folks advocate it, I'm pretty convinced it's just a way to get the foot in the door for legalizing pot, an issue I'm conflicted on.
On the one hand, pot doesn't seem to be that harmful of a drug. On the other hand, every pot smoker I've ever known has been lazy and shiftless. It could just be that lazy and shiftless people are attracted to reefer, I don't know.
I don't mind the legalization of help. Or heck, even pot for that matter. However, if the later is legalized we will see a huge spike in smoking. And Im sure that will be met with a hue and cry unseen for many years. My own opinion is...let em smoke it. And tax the heck out of it.
Why tax "the heck" out of it? Why not just tax it normally?
True. I guess that was a poor choice of words. I think they already tax the heck out of cigarettes...so I expect they would do the same (if not worse) to MJ.
One thing I AM hoping for with the Obama admin is expanded funding for stem cell research and biotech research in general.
I'm just being argumentative, but I think I should point out that cigarettes are taxed to try to discourage people from smoking, not necessarily to raise revenue. Isn't that kind of tax contrary to the policy of legalizing Mary Jane?
Thats what I was getting at with my earlier post. Legalizing MJ will result in a huge spike of experimental smoking. The health advocates will not be pleased...so, in order to "be responsible" I expect it will be taxed quite a bit.
The ironic thing about that is that it will result in a continued black market in MJ.
“The Knave abideth.” I dare speak not for thee, but this maketh me to be of good comfort; I deem it well that he be out there, the Knave, being of good ease for we sinners.
I'm okay with legalizing hemp, but to hear the way some folks advocate it, I'm pretty convinced it's just a way to get the foot in the door for legalizing pot, an issue I'm conflicted on.
On the one hand, pot doesn't seem to be that harmful of a drug. On the other hand, every pot smoker I've ever known has been lazy and shiftless. It could just be that lazy and shiftless people are attracted to reefer, I don't know.
Z, I understand your feelings toward marijuana as a recreational drug and I'm curious...have you ever known successful individuals who smoked pot? Obviously we're discussing anecdotal evidence here but personal experiences often create people's perceptions of drug use since official statements on drug use are obviously suspicious as sources of fact.
Do any of y'all know the history of how marijuana was outlawed by the country's first drug czar, Harry Anslinger? They basically made up lies to demonize marijuana as a drug that made black men rape white women in fits of rage and simultaneously made mexican users too lazy to be relied upon in the workforce. Quite a dichotomy of effects there, IMO.
I've never met a retarded person who wasn't smiling.
^^^I make my judgement on MJ based on my own experience using it myself and having a lazy-ass boyfriend that used it.
Can you elaborate? It sounds like you're saying that you judge marijuana negatively because of the negative effects you perceived and perceived in your then boyfriend...just want to make sure I'm getting that right...I've been up since yesterday and just took a 100 question multiple choice exam that was 45 pages long so I'm a little delirious at the moment.
Would your judgment be different for someone you perceived as a great person who achieved highly, raised children responsibly and did all the right things and THEY smoked marijuana? Would you just consider it a normal vice like we all have like having too many cocktails on friday night or smoking a few cigs a day? Or would you not be able to look past the marijuana use?
I'm very interested in this subject because I see no reason for either industrial hemp nor recreational marijuana to be illegal, but I haven't discussed the ideas fully with many people outside my peer group....Supremely interested in hearing the different points of view, especially from other generations.
I've never met a retarded person who wasn't smiling.
I never said what kind of judgement I have on the subject...just what it's based on. Well, I realize I wrote lazy-ass boyfriend so I guess that's not true. For me, it was like getting drunk without the hangover and as Toothy wrote above, I ATE A LOT. For him? He was a relatively smart hard-working guy when I met him but when he started smoking it more frequently, he wouldn't go to work or school, dropped out, got fired etc.
All of the above could also have happened with alcohol abuse too...I realize that...actually, I never ate as much with alcohol though.
I honestly don't really care either way on MJ. I dunno. I surely wouldn't want to do it around kids simply because I don't think they could understand the difference between smoking cigarettes and smoking MJ...and they are taught from a young age that cigarettes are bad for you, etc. Not sure how it would communicated to kids, I guess.
rosemary's best friend's oldest son is off to college this year...full academic scholie and first time away from home...not living TOO far from home...but far enough where he's dorming it...their family just found out that vincent is maintaining his grades and maintaining his eligibility for the scholarship...they also found out that he's been experimenting with pot....lol....his parents are pissed...my first reaction was 'meh - everyone does it in college...as long as there's not a drop in grades and productivity, who cares?'
rosemary is no longer seeking my advice re: vincent .. lol.
I've known several successful recreational pot smokers. I've also known several that were happy getting by but I don't think the weed brought that on. It maybe enhanced it a bit though.
“The Knave abideth.” I dare speak not for thee, but this maketh me to be of good comfort; I deem it well that he be out there, the Knave, being of good ease for we sinners.
I never said what kind of judgement I have on the subject...just what it's based on. Well, I realize I wrote lazy-ass boyfriend so I guess that's not true. For me, it was like getting drunk without the hangover and as Toothy wrote above, I ATE A LOT. For him? He was a relatively smart hard-working guy when I met him but when he started smoking it more frequently, he wouldn't go to work or school, dropped out, got fired etc.
All of the above could also have happened with alcohol abuse too...I realize that...actually, I never ate as much with alcohol though.
I honestly don't really care either way on MJ. I dunno. I surely wouldn't want to do it around kids simply because I don't think they could understand the difference between smoking cigarettes and smoking MJ...and they are taught from a young age that cigarettes are bad for you, etc. Not sure how it would communicated to kids, I guess.
Yea, I definitely wasn't attempting to put words in your mouth...just made an assumption based on the 'lazyass' characterization...no big deal ;D
I've never met a retarded person who wasn't smiling.
“The Knave abideth.” I dare speak not for thee, but this maketh me to be of good comfort; I deem it well that he be out there, the Knave, being of good ease for we sinners.
I've known dozens and dozens of folks who smoke marijuana regularly and seem to function equally well during use compared to when they're "sober". Their work doesn't deteriorate in quality, their mood changes little (maybe they laugh too much) and they don't lose their ambition to experience life or work toward their goals while they are stoned. I've listened to complete stoners have some of the most complex conversations arguing about cutting edge ideas and I've known folks who everyone would agree were better people while they were getting high. For some folks it acts as a balance instead of an anchor dragging them down onto the couch for the next 3 hours.
I think the stereotypes of pot are exacerbated by its taboo nature--it forces successful folks to hide the fact that they smoke pot, thus they can't serve as examples of responsible users.
I've never met a retarded person who wasn't smiling.
I will say for the most part personality (mine and others) is more fun on pot than on alcohol. I can get sort of edgy and angry on alcohol but on pot, I'm just plain happy...hungry, but happy.
Funny story...I went with a friend of mine one time to TGI Fridays after getting lit one time...I was with a friend who was pretty well off financially and he ordered every single appetizer on the menu...the waiter thought he was kidding and he had to convince the waiter he was totally serious. Man was I full after that. LOL
