Good presentation, Peter – If you’re doing a lot of this, then it’s great PR!

It disappoints me, though, that you seem to be playing down the importance of industrial hemp, after what seemed to be an initial resolve to push this issue alongside the medicinal and recreational usage.

OK, I can see that you don’t want to give the impression, as you put it, that hemp’s going to save the world, but it could go a long way towards doing so.

However, the plant’s main contribution to ‘saving the world’ could be in the seed’s incredible nutritional attributes: the fact that it can be grown easily in a wide range of conditions could go a long way towards ending famine.

Here’s a link to the article I read several years ago which led me to start taking a tablespoon of hemp seed oil every day, and resulted  in me being free of aches and pains ever since (I don’t use the herb medicinally – other than in a holistic way – and don’t, fortunately, need to use much to get the desired effect): http://manitobaharvest.com/articles_studies/3802/Hemp%3A-Nature%27s-Forgotten-Superfood.html. There are several other interesting articles about hemp nutrition on the site.

This hemp seed oil can be found in the health foods section of most large supermarkets as ‘Good Oil’, organically grown in Devon, and cold-pressed.

I work with children, and come across many cases of ADHD, ADD, etc. I am convinced that inadequate nutrition is responsible for much of this disorder. Very few children eat (a proper) breakfast, and don’t fare (no pun intended) much better at lunchtime. This results in lack of concentration, and disruptiveness. Good old Jamie Oliver has been banging on about this for years, but I still don’t think that his message has sunk in that well. The above article illustrates the necessity for a usable balance of EFA’s in the diet, for the brain and body to function properly, and the best way of getting these is by taking hemp seed oil, pure and simply.

So THC, CBD et al aren’t the only constituents of the plant that promote good heal.

Tend to agree with stickybud.  I fully realise the limited resources of CLEAR and the massive amount of work required on the MMJ frontline alone.  This is more than evidenced by Peter’s huge output on the subject – I don’t know how he manages to keep up with it all.

I first tried cannabis in the 70′s, laughed a lot and moved on.  It didn’t really figure in my life until something sparked a new interest in the subject about 15 years ago (probably the entry in A Modern Herbal by Mrs M Grieve published 1931).  I then read The Emporer.. which sparked further reading (Chris Conrad, John Lust, Kenyon Gibson et al, Lester Grinspoon, Martin Booth, Rowan Robinson and endless internet stuff).  I was puzzled though, because if this wonderful, benign plant could save the world why wasn’t growing everywhere wiping out debt in third world countries, underpinning the economies of the west, providing plentiful nutritious food, providing eco friendly building materials, paper, fibre and the other thousands of uses.

Of course I then discovered the problem – it’s an evil, pernicious and dangerous drug which, given the chance, will destroy society and needs wiping off the face of the earth.  Oh, and if given free reign it would undermine the profits of just about every major, highly profitable, unsustainable, international industry (oil, man made fibre, timber, plastics, paper, fuel, concrete, pesticide, herbicide, fertiliser  etc etc). Although GWPharma did, £somehow, £manage to £sidestep the problem and are free to break the law on a £massive scale, produce an illegal drug and then £somehow sell this illegal drug to PCTs who in turn, if they can afford it, allow doctor’s to illegally prescribe it (Schedule 1 drugs have no recognised medical use and cannot be prescribed by doctors or dispensed by pharmacies).  Which is why we in the UK can’t get Bedrocan prescribed or bring it into the country if prescribed abroad. 

Then I stumbled upon CLEAR and liked what I saw but could not join as my contract prevented any political allegiance.  Now I’m retired – so I have.

Recently, just to underline the enormity of the problem we are facing, in a reply to a letter I sent my MP questioning government policy on both industrial hemp and medicinal hemp I received a letter (via my MP) from Lord Henley – minister for crime prevention.  One line in his reply sums up the problem :

quote:  ”….. Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 makes it an offence to cultivate any plant of the genus cannabis as a class B drug.  The same legislative controls apply to cannabis plants cultivated for the production of drug material (e.g. fibre , oil).”   

Drug material??  Yes I had to read it twice too.  This is the kind of corporate ignorance and closed mind set we are up against. I’m sure Lord Henley is an intelligent man but this sort of mindless drivel puts that assertion in grave doubt.  

So yes I agree that the wider aspects of cannabis do need promoting and maybe Peter should be a little more positive in his promotion of such, but resources are finite. I am trying to do my bit.  There is a lot of very intelligent, reasoned comment on the web but a lot of this is anonymous probably (and understandably) because people fear being traced as potential police brownie points (Big Brother Syndrome) And little of this comment gets to where it matters.  Everyone who has concerns and valid input should write to their MP stating their concerns on the laws limiting the production of low THC cannabis and the benefits to be had by changing the legislation.  5000 people writing to their MP would at the very least highlight the whole cannabis debate and, of course, it would have nothing to do with the evil drug. 

I don’t doubt the potential of industrial hemp but (please forgive the alliteration but I can’t resist it!), the hopeless hemp hippies are wrong.

I’m a hippy and proud of it but I’m also practical and focused on what is real and achievable.

About two years ago I spent several months looking at hemp in depth.  I met with farmers, processors and the MD of Hemp Technology in Halesworth.  The truth is that hemp is good but not the miracle that so much tosh is written about.  It does need fertiliser, processing facilities and markets are very limited, many farmers (particularly in Northern Ireland) have already had their fingers burned and, crucially, a farmer’s first concern is putting food on the table for his family, not some idealistic, ecological vision.  Hemp also has some disadvantages.  Its fibres are so strong that they destroy conventional farm machinery, requiring very expensive alternatives.

Of course, it is ridiculous that industrial hemp with >0.2% THC is controlled as it is but nothing is going to change until we get more rational treatment of high THC varieties.  For that simple reason, I just don’t see campaigning on the hemp issue as very useful or likely to be effective.  If we can achieve our aims in other areas then hemp will come along as a byproduct.  Even then though, it’s chicken and egg.  Processing facilities (very expensive) need to be local to farmers (high transport costs).

I shall always remember seeing a delivery arrive in Halesowen of hemp that had been sitting untouched in a barn in Northern Ireland for five years.  Given the transport costs, the farmer had virtually given it away just to get his storage space back. This is reality.

Hi dirtysquirty

“.I would like to be more out going in pursuit of the Cannabis cause myself.I am however in a position of being unemployed,(and no I am not in receipt of any benefit before the ‘scrounger brigade’ try and put their tuppence worth in) and have a better half in a position of trust in the community which could be seriously jeopardised by me simply having the belief I do about Cannabis” 
That is exactly the position I am in (although, when I took early retirement, I did get £29 jobseekers allowance, two days worth, for some reason??)
My other half, of 36 years, is also a strong believer but not a user. This situation is incredibly frustrating which is one reason why, publicly, I try and push the cannabis argument from the opposite (agricultural) end of the scale whilst doing my best to support the other, medical, end by whatever means I can.  I believe any effort, however small, to bring the truth about cannabis to the attention of those who have been brought up in ignorance is worthwhile whether it be from the agricultural perspective or from the medical perspective (or anywhere in between).  Another gem from Henley to me:quote: “….legislation will not address the risk factors which lead individuals to misuse drugs, nor the misery, cost and lost opportunities that dependence causes to individuals, their families and the wider community”  – as you say – WTF!I have started to draft a response but I’m not sure it’s worth it.  It’s the sort of stuff that creationists come up with when presented with rock solid (pun) evidence – ‘god created fossils to test our faith in him’ or ‘dinosaurs were wiped out by the great flood’ sort of gibberish. Sometimes it’s best to just walk away :^)                                                                                           

Thanks for your comments, folks.

I see your point, Peter, but, as far as I’m concerned, cannabis and hemp “are both in this together”, to adapt a phrase used recently by.. er.. who was it, now?

Of course, as noted by Cshaws, resources are limited, and have to be prioritised, but there is, I feel, room within your presentation to put in a good word about hemp. Cshaws pointed out that it’s not just Big Pharma that stands to lose out, after all, so I think it’s something worth telling the public about.

@dirtysquirty: I completely agree with your first paragraph views on child mental health: the Department of Health is really failing these kids.

I didn’t say that I wanted to push the hemp cause before the medicinal and recreational, though – I said “alongside”. It is one plant, after all, with many beneficial uses.

But I do agree with your priorities – both these uses are more immediately human-centric than the wider hemp issue, and, as Peter says, it will come along as a result.
However, that doesn’t mean to say that it can’t be part of the argument, and elicit interest in those who have their minds currently closed to the bit we’re interested in. 

But, Peter, you are doing a great job!