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| <b>Hemp</b> (<i>Cannabis sativa</i> L.) is a member of the <i>Cannabinaceae</i> family, a small group of ]. | |||
| ''Cannabis,'' also known (in one drug form) as ], is any of several different species of mildly ] plants whose main active ingredient is delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, or ]. Cannabis is a member of the family ], in the order ]. It grows in most climates. The tough fiber of the cannabis plant is known as ] and has various uses, including the manufacture of ], ], and ]. | |||
| Hemp most likely originated in Central Asia. It is one of the oldest cultivated plants, and has probably been cultivated in China for over 4500 years. | |||
| <h3>Pharmacology</h3> | |||
| Although the main psychoactive substance in Cannabis is THC the plant contains about 60 cannabinoids in total. The complexity of this mixture has lead to speculation as to why the effects of the plant can differ from the synthetically manufacured dronabinol. | |||
| There are broadly three groups of Hemp varieties being cultivated today : | |||
| "Normal" herbal cannabis usually contains between 0.5-5% THC although through selective breading and cultivation techniques (such as ]) varieties now exist that have up to 25% THC content. The THC content is also affected by the sex of the plant, with females generating more THC laden resin than their male counterparts. ''Sinsemilla'' (from the ] for "without seed") is derived from unpollinated female plants and has an even higher THC content. | |||
| * Varieties primarily cultivated for their fibre, characterized by long stems and little branching. | |||
| <h3>Effects</h3> | |||
| * Varieties grown for seed from which hemp oil is extracted | |||
| * Varieties grown for medicinal or narcotic purposes. The resin, known variously as ], ] or ], is obtained from the dried inflorescences, leaves and stems. | |||
| Most hemp grown for fibre is cultivated in the temperate regions, while hemp for seed and the other purposes is more (sub) tropical in adaptation. | |||
| Cannabis is ], meaning it affects the mind and/or behaviour. Its main effects include a "mellow" good feeling as well as giggling, and the frequent short-term side-effect of increased appetite (the "munchies"). Larger doses can cause an increased perception of sight and sound, eventually leading to mild hallucination, usually auditory. | |||
| The use of hemp for fibre production has declined sharply over the past decades, but hemp still occupies an important place amongst natural fibres as it is strong, durable and unaffected by water. | |||
| Other effects include ], short term memory loss and ], especially if used in combination with ]. | |||
| The main uses of hemp fibre are in rope, sacking, carpet, nets and webbing. | |||
| In recent years hemp is being used in increasing quantities in paper manufacturing. | |||
| The ] content is about 70%. | |||
| <b>Major hemp producing countries.</b> | |||
| It is generally not thought possible to overdose on Cannabis as the levels required for toxicity are so high. | |||
| The ] (former Soviet Union) is the world largest producer (300.000 ]). The main production areas are in the ], the Kursk and Orel regions and near the Polish border. | |||
| Although a mild tolerance of the drug can be built up, it is not thought to be addictive. However some people can build up a psychological dependence. There is some evidence linking long-term use to ] and it can aggravate pre-existing mental conditions. | |||
| Other important producing countries are the former Yugoslavia, Romania, Poland and Italy. | |||
| The long term effects of cannabis still need more study but there are concerns that the high tar content (and the fact it is usually smoked with ]) could lead to an increased risk of lung cancer. | |||
| <b>Harvesting the fibre</b> | |||
| Medical uses of marijuana for a variety of conditions is currently being investigated. Anecdotal evidence reports that it has beneficial effects relieving the nausea of ] and ] treatment, its appetite stimulating effect helping combat wasting. It may also help reduce fluid pressure in the eyes associated with ]. There are numerous studies that have shown it can help reduce the pain and tremors of ]. | |||
| Smallholder plots are usually harvested by hand. The plants are cut at 2 to 3 cm above the soil and left on the ground to dry. | |||
| <h3>History</h3> | |||
| Mechanical harvesting is now common, using specially adapted cutter-binders or simpler cutters. | |||
| The cut hemp is laid in swathes to dry for up to four days. This is followed by ''retting'', either water retting whereby the bundled hemp floats in water or dew retting whereby the hemp remains on the ground and is affected by the moisture in dew moisture, and by moulds and bacterial action. | |||
| <b>A new future for hemp?</b> | |||
| The use of Cannabis is thought to go back around 4000 years. It was used as medicine throughout ] and the ] to treat a variety of conditions. | |||
| In the last decade hemp has been widely promoted as a crop for the future. This is in particular stimulated by new technologies which make hemp suitable for industrial paper manufacturing, use as a renewable energy source (biofuel), and the use of hemp derivatives as replacement for petrochemical products. | |||
| Cannabis was well known by Scythians. Germans have grown Hanf or] for its fibres used to make nautical ropes and material for clothes since ancient times. In the Elbing Prussian vocabulary from around 1350 hemp is recorded as knapis (derived from cannabis). Large fields along the Rhine river banks with hemp plants are featured in 19th century copper etchings. | |||
| The increased demand for health food has stimulated the trade in hempseed while hemp oil is increasingly being used in the manufacturing of bodycare products. | |||
| The hemp plant has to be soaked to harvest the fibre. This liquid was used as drink. In todays Germany there are bars that serve hemp beer and hemp wine. | |||
| <b>The THC debate</b> | |||
| It was used in the western world (usually as a tincture) around the middle of the 19th century. It was famously used to treat ]'s period pains. It was even available from shops in the US. By the end of the 19th centuary its medicinal use began to fall as other drugs such as aspirin took over. | |||
| Hemp contains <i>delta-9-tetrahydrocanabinol</i>, which is the actual psychoactive ingredient found in hashish. | |||
| It was outlawed in the USA somewhere around the time of the end of WW II. | |||
| THC is present in all hemp varieties to some extent. In varieties grown for medicinal or narcotic use, THC levels reach 20-30%. In hemp varieties for seed or fibre use, these levels are between 0.5% and 1.5%, which is far too low to obtain any narcotic effect and low enough to make THC extraction extremely difficult or uneconomic. | |||
| On October 9th, 2001, the US ] (DEA) ruled that even traces of THC in products intended for food use would be illegal as from February 6th, 2002. | |||
| This would rule out the production or use of hempseed or hempseed oil in food use in the USA. | |||
| The presence of THC in hemp varieties and the fear that THC could be extracted from industrial hemp for illegal purposes has hampered the development of hemp is many countries. Since the early 1990s, however, countries including Canada, Australia, the UK, and Germany have allowed experimental hemp plantings and some commercial scale production. | |||
| Plant breeders are working on the development of new varieties which are low in THC. | |||
| <b>Hemp resources</b> | |||
| It has a prominent religious role in the ] religion. | |||
| * Hemp Industries Association http://www.thehia.org | |||
| Although it has probably been used as a recreational drug thoughout its history, it came to prominence in the Jazz scene during the fifties, its use taking off in the ]. | |||
| * Global Hemp Resources http://www.globalhemp.com | |||
| * North American Industrial Hemp council http://www.naihc.org | |||
| see ] : History | |||
| It is now one of the most widely used illicit drugs in the world. | |||
| <h3>Recreational Use</h3> | |||
| <em>N.B. Recreational use is illegal in most countries, see the next section.</em> | |||
| Recreational use of cannabis has an associated subculture which starts with the number of names for the drug. Examples include: "pot", "dope", "weed", "reefer", "bhang", "green", "herb", "ganja", "sinsemilla", "grass", "mary jane", "chronic", "bud" and many more. | |||
| Cannabis comes in several forms. | |||
| * Dried leaves (usually the flowering tops of female plants). | |||
| * Cannabis resin (]) which is the secretion of the plant, usually dried and processed onto blocks. | |||
| * Cannabis oil ("honey oil","]") which is a concentrate usually involving a solvent based extraction. | |||
| It is most commonly smoked, usually in a "joint" or "]": The dried leaves (possibly mixed with ]) are rolled in paper and smoked much like a cigarette. | |||
| Other methods include using pipes or "]s" (water pipes) to smoke the Cannabis whilst cooling the smoke down and in the case of bongs removing some of the unwanted impurities/tar. | |||
| Cannabis is also used in cooking to make things such as "space cake" and "hash brownies". However it is harder to self-regulate the effects as they usually occur 30-45 minutes after ingestion. | |||
| It can also be taken by dissolving it in cups of coffee, creating a "bhang". | |||
| <h4>The Law</h4> | |||
| <em>N.B. Misplaced Pages does not give legal advice!</em> | |||
| Marijuana was criminalised across most of the world in the early parts of the 20th centuary. There is some confusion as to the reasons as there seems to be different driving forces on either side of the Atlantic. | |||
| In the UK, cannabis was outlawed in ] after it became a signatory to the "International Opium Convention" which was held in ] in ]. | |||
| In the US the key law seems to be the ] which was the federal culmination of many separate state laws that had been enacted in the previous years. | |||
| Laws usually exist for trafficking, cultivation and possesion for personal use. Enforcement of the law varies from country to country. Some notable examples include the ] where it is effectively <em>decriminalised</em> and can be purchased in licensed "coffee shops". | |||
| In many countries, ] exercise their discretionary powers to caution or confiscate for possession in small quantities that could be deemed for personal use. | |||
| A recent example was the declaration by ] in ], England that they would not arrest people for possession of cannabis and instead only issue on-the-spot warnings and confiscate the cannabis. | |||
| Following this trial the reclassification of cannabis from Class B to Class C was recommended by the ] in October ]. | |||
| In parts of Australia, notably ] and the ], possession of small quantities of cannabis, and growing limited numbers of plants for personal use, has been decriminalised, now being punishable by an on-the-spot fine of $50 (about 25 USD). Police interest in personal usage and non-commercial growers in the rest of Australia appears to be limited. | |||
| Some other countries (e.g. Canada) are starting to recognise medicinal use of cannabis separately from "normal" possession. | |||
| ---- | |||
| <h4>Links</h4> | |||
| <h5>Drug Information</h5> | |||
| * UK National drugs helpline factsheet | |||
| * American Council for Drug Education factsheet | |||
| * UN Drug control and Prevention factsheet | |||
| <h5>History</h5> | |||
| * The Emperor Wears No Clothes | |||
| * Smokedot.org's take of the history of criminalisation | |||
| <h5>Misc</h5> | |||
| * Smoking device used for tasting Cannabis | |||
| * WHO report on Cannabis health effects | |||
| * UK Panoroma programme on medical trials | |||
| <h5>Advocacy sites</h5> | |||
| <em>This is pro-cannabis biased, any anti-cannabis links?</em> | |||
| * The Cannabis Information Network | |||
| * Cannibis.com | |||
| <table><tr><td>]</td></tr><tr><td>] poster used the late ] and ]</td></tr></table> | |||
| ---- | |||
| ''Please see ] to characterize this controversy. When both (or all) sides have been presented fairly, the text should be put back on this page.'' | |||
Revision as of 15:43, 25 February 2002
Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is a member of the Cannabinaceae family, a small group of herbaceous plants.
Hemp most likely originated in Central Asia. It is one of the oldest cultivated plants, and has probably been cultivated in China for over 4500 years.
There are broadly three groups of Hemp varieties being cultivated today :
- Varieties primarily cultivated for their fibre, characterized by long stems and little branching.
- Varieties grown for seed from which hemp oil is extracted
- Varieties grown for medicinal or narcotic purposes. The resin, known variously as hashish, ganja or bhang, is obtained from the dried inflorescences, leaves and stems.
Most hemp grown for fibre is cultivated in the temperate regions, while hemp for seed and the other purposes is more (sub) tropical in adaptation.
The use of hemp for fibre production has declined sharply over the past decades, but hemp still occupies an important place amongst natural fibres as it is strong, durable and unaffected by water. The main uses of hemp fibre are in rope, sacking, carpet, nets and webbing. In recent years hemp is being used in increasing quantities in paper manufacturing. The cellulose content is about 70%.
Major hemp producing countries.
The Commonwealth of Independent States (former Soviet Union) is the world largest producer (300.000 hectares). The main production areas are in the Ukraine, the Kursk and Orel regions and near the Polish border.
Other important producing countries are the former Yugoslavia, Romania, Poland and Italy.
Harvesting the fibre
Smallholder plots are usually harvested by hand. The plants are cut at 2 to 3 cm above the soil and left on the ground to dry. Mechanical harvesting is now common, using specially adapted cutter-binders or simpler cutters. The cut hemp is laid in swathes to dry for up to four days. This is followed by retting, either water retting whereby the bundled hemp floats in water or dew retting whereby the hemp remains on the ground and is affected by the moisture in dew moisture, and by moulds and bacterial action.
A new future for hemp?
In the last decade hemp has been widely promoted as a crop for the future. This is in particular stimulated by new technologies which make hemp suitable for industrial paper manufacturing, use as a renewable energy source (biofuel), and the use of hemp derivatives as replacement for petrochemical products. The increased demand for health food has stimulated the trade in hempseed while hemp oil is increasingly being used in the manufacturing of bodycare products.
The THC debate
Hemp contains delta-9-tetrahydrocanabinol, which is the actual psychoactive ingredient found in hashish. THC is present in all hemp varieties to some extent. In varieties grown for medicinal or narcotic use, THC levels reach 20-30%. In hemp varieties for seed or fibre use, these levels are between 0.5% and 1.5%, which is far too low to obtain any narcotic effect and low enough to make THC extraction extremely difficult or uneconomic. On October 9th, 2001, the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) ruled that even traces of THC in products intended for food use would be illegal as from February 6th, 2002. This would rule out the production or use of hempseed or hempseed oil in food use in the USA. The presence of THC in hemp varieties and the fear that THC could be extracted from industrial hemp for illegal purposes has hampered the development of hemp is many countries. Since the early 1990s, however, countries including Canada, Australia, the UK, and Germany have allowed experimental hemp plantings and some commercial scale production. Plant breeders are working on the development of new varieties which are low in THC.
Hemp resources
- Hemp Industries Association http://www.thehia.org
- Global Hemp Resources http://www.globalhemp.com
- North American Industrial Hemp council http://www.naihc.org
see Cannabis : History