If Ron Paul were president right now...

Do you think there'd at least be mentions of utilizing hemp to help bolster the economy?

Is obama planning to do anything about it?

I'm not talking about anything with any kind of drug content, don't bring any of that up or the thread will be gone.

I'm talking about the serious economic situation we're in right now, and the well established, recognized effects this crop would have on america's economy.
We're being told our government is doing everything it can to try to remedy our current situation, but compare our current consumption/production methods and the effects they have versus the effects hemp production, processing, and waste would bring/have brought in the past and it's obvious we're headed the wrong direction.


There are a ton of jobs to be had. There would have to be if we were to switch over from our current ways of polluting our air and water to make everyday things. There should be pretty good incentive too with how eco-conscious people are starting to get.

"The Emperor Wears No Clothes" is a great book that goes into detail how the plant was utilized in the past, the effects it had on the countries that use it, and why it was made illegal. You can read it here

Here are just a few quick overviews of the uses that this plant has. Think of the amount of jobs/new revenue that would be created if we switched from synthetic/harmful/polluting ingredients to everything being made from hemp material with as much fervor as we're putting into this whole "green movement" everyone is talking about...
Foods
-Hemp seeds are used to make hemp seed oil.

-No other plant source, not even the soybean, compares to hemp in its range and balance of nutritional benefits, making hemp the world’s premier food source.


-Hemp seeds have fiber, protein and essential fatty acids (EFAs
In 1937 Popular Science magazine called hemp "The New Billion Dollar Crop."

Fuel
-Hemp can be used to produce non-toxic diesel fuel.
" Because hemp produces more biomass than any other plant species that can grow in a wide range of climates and locations, HEMP has a great potential to become a major sopurce of ethanol fuel."

Clothing and Textiles
-Hemp is the standard fiber of the world. It has great strength and durability. It is used to make over 5,000 textile prodcuts.

-Products made from textile processing remains are used to make another 25,00 products.


-Products range from rope to fine laces to dynamite to Cellophane

Cosmetics
-"The primary oil used in cosmetics, from baby moisturiser to face creams, shaving soap and body butter is mineral oil, which is- you guessed it- a petroleum derivative (waste product). There is a natural alternative that actually feeds our skin with omega-3,6 and 9 nutrients. Hemp Oil."

Paints & Cleaners
-Hemp can be used to produce non-toxic paint, varnish, and detergent.


-Up until 1937, all quality paints were made with a base of hemp oil due to its natural drying quality

PAPER
-Hemp paper does not need chlorine bleach, which heavily pollutes rives near wood-pulp paper mills.


-Environmentally-sound Hemp paper is stronger, finer and longer-lasting than wood-based papers.


-Hemp paper is used for bank notes and archives.

Building Materials
-You can build a house with hemp.


-Used to produce caulking, cement, fiberboard, flooring, insulation, paneling, particleboard, plaster, plywood, reinforced concrete and roofing.

Henry Ford designed and built a car from compression-molded hemp and other natural fibers. He designed it to run on hemp biomass fuel.


It used to be illegal not to grow hemp in war times because of how useful it was


Again, this thread has nothing to do with drugs of any sort. I'm comparing our economy now and our current 'fixes' to the economy of pre-1940 america and their fixes.
Commercial hemp has less than five tenths of one percent drug content anyways, but that's beside the point here.





[edit on 29-1-2009 by alaskan]

Um, may I ask why you included a disclaimer saying your thread had nothing to do with drugs?

I agree, Obama could do a lot to create jobs. What steps can we create to get towards that goal?

What role could we as citizens play to do that ourselves so that we don't have to rely completely on the govt for help?

reply to post by Frankidealist35


He included the disclaimer because he doesn't want this to turn into a discussion about cannabis.

@alaskan
You raise some very good points, I'm not sure how Paul would combat this but I can't see Obama utilising hemp in any way during his time in office

It also seems to grow easier/stronger too. I lived in the midwest for awhile, and that stuff just grows wild all over the place. You can find it in ditches, so I would think it's a pretty easy crop to manage.

They grew it during WW2, so that is why it's all over the midwest still like that, can't seem to get rid of it.

It regrows every season, so you don't have the same long term effects of killing a tree that takes decades to replace.

Seems like a good idea to me.

In Europe industrial hemp can be crown providing the THC content is less than 0.3 percent. en.wikipedia.org...
There is little (well meaning) reason why the same cannot be allowed in the U.S. Especially if the stuff can be legally imported, but not grown. Common sense would state whatever THC level they allow to be imported should be the same level they allow to be grown.

But somehow I doubt Obama has either the nerve or originality required to legislate in favour of “socially responsible” THC levels.
The biggest hope for U.S farmers is that either GM or selective breeding will allow a 100% THC free strain of the crop to be produced. Although I guess if it hasn’t happened already it’s a lot harder than it sounds.

Originally posted by Frankidealist35
Um, may I ask why you included a disclaimer saying your thread had nothing to do with drugs?

Every other thread I've started about HEMP (not the drug related counterpart) has been deleted or moved to a bologna forum under the guise of "illegal substances." no matter what disclaimer against drug use I've given.

And I didn't say we had to rely on government, but it is the government that raids peoples houses/farms for something that shouldn't have anything to do with them, so no matter what you say, they are involved in this argument.

Look at individual state rulings/cases/laws on cannabis hemp plants vs. the federal laws/cases/rulings against growers (whether you want to demonize them or not) and explain to me how there isn't something completely retarded going on...

Originally posted by Liberal1984
The biggest hope for U.S farmers is that either GM or selective breeding will allow a 100% THC free strain of the crop to be produced. Although I guess if it hasn’t happened already it’s a lot harder than it sounds.

A person could smoke (or otherwise ingest) many many pounds of commercial hemp and only feel the effects of oxygen depletion and smoke inhalation, but take less than a handful of antihistamines and they're completely screwed up for hours or dead.

It's stupid that people apply these standards to plants that have been around for millions of years before us, but not to pharmacological agents that haven't been around for half a century even with our tweaking and scientific input, when it's common knowledge that too much of this "good thing" will kill you.

This is about hemp's possible effects on the american economy, not what you or I think our 'leader' should do differently.

Originally posted by alaskan
If Ron Paul were president right now...

.... we'd have a better chance at economic recovery then with either Obama or McCain in office.

He'd bring down the payroll tax.
He wouldn't substitute it with a crippling consumer tax.
He'd bring spending US $$ in foreign countries DOWN DOWN DOWN.
No paying for nation building on the other side of the planet.
And he'd drop aid like this -

No. 133: Provide $30 billion over 10 years to Israel
"Implement a Memorandum of Understanding that provides $30 billion in assistance to Israel over the next decade -- investments to Israel's security that will not be tied to any other nation."

From this thread - Obama's 509 Campaign Promises

I read up on hemp once and couldnt beleive it. Its so stupid why its illegal and its almost a perfect plant. Hemp should be legal to grow, the only people it would hurt is big oil companies.

If Ron Paul were President right now??

I don't even think that is a reasonable question.

He wants to cut the Fed, the IRS, the number of overseas bases, and on and on....

If Ron Paul were elected, I don't even think he would survive to his inauguration.

Ok, "if somebody else who favors real reform in this area were president right now..."

Better?