To hell with Health Care Reform...Instead lets talk about Marijuana!

[Mr. Shaman]

..Tick..Tick..Tick..Tick..Tick..Tick..Tick..Tick..Tick...

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[LooseChange]

I couldn't care less about marijuana although hemp makes an excellent fiber crop... which is probably the real reason for its illegality.

Thank you for reminding me about the hemp portion of it Pidgey. You see Marijuana does have a value that this country needs to finally tap into instead of criminalize it. It's going to happen. Haven't you all noticed that this whole health care debate has put marijuana use on the front burner as well??? Is it me or is it just a coincidence?

 

[dahermit]

I couldn't care less about marijuana although hemp makes an excellent fiber crop... which is probably the real reason for its illegality.

Although many use the names "hemp" and "marijuana", interchangeably, they are not the same plant albeit, closely related. Hemp contains very small amount of the active ingredient of "THC", where as marijuana contains a larger amount. It has been stated that there is so little THC in hemp that a person would have to smoke at least nine cigarettes (joints) to get any effect at all. The current laws forbidding hemp as a crop are the result of over zealous persons who did not understand the difference between the two or did not wish to consider that the small amount of THC in the hemp was low enough to render it all but useless as a drug.

 

[dahermit]

....Just like beer & wine.

That's some kind o' major-issue???​

The making of one's own beer, wine, and whiskey are fairly labor intensive and complicated if one is to be successful. On the other hand, anyone with a flower pot, or dirt in the back yard can very easily produce their own marijuana. It requires no processing other than drying, little in any way a person can screw up the "process". Where as with beer, wine, whiskey, one must have the knowledge to follow a specific process, proper equipment. In the case of whiskey, huge amounts of ingredients (one ton of corn per 14 gallons of product). Huge amount of fuel to cook the mash. A hydrometer to insure that the alcohol in mash has not risen higher than 14% (it will kill the yeast, must keep adding water). Also, unless a person has the knowledge to construct a complicated condenser that allows capturing the alcohol in the first cook-off while separating it from the water, but only has a water cooled "copper worm" it has to be cooked off three times to get rid of the excess water.

Note: My paternal grandfather was a moonshiner during prohibition.

Compared to all that, how much trouble is it to grow a few plants in pots?

In short, the estimated 1.4 billion that California thinks it is going to get from taxing it is a "pipe dream".

 

[LooseChange]

The making of one's own beer, wine, and whiskey are fairly labor intensive and complicated if one is to be successful. On the other hand, anyone with a flower pot, or dirt in the back yard can very easily produce their own marijuana. It requires no processing other than drying, little in any way a person can screw up the "process". Where as with beer, wine, whiskey, one must have the knowledge to follow a specific process, proper equipment. In the case of whiskey, huge amounts of ingredients (one ton of corn per 14 gallons of product). Huge amount of fuel to cook the mash. A hydrometer to insure that the alcohol in mash has not risen higher than 14% (it will kill the yeast, must keep adding water). Also, unless a person has the knowledge to construct a complicated condenser that allows capturing the alcohol in the first cook-off while separating it from the water, but only has a water cooled "copper worm" it has to be cooked off three times to get rid of the excess water.

Note: My paternal grandfather was a moonshiner during prohibition.

Compared to all that, how much trouble is it to grow a few plants in pots?

In short, the estimated 1.4 billion that California thinks it is going to get from taxing it is a "pipe dream".

I like that analogy you used "Pipe Dream" even though that isn't what you meant. Look we as a nation need to look at this seriously and as an alternative. Marijuana growers are willing to pay the tax on it and only want to contribute their fair share of taxes to help out the country. So I say why not. Let's see what will happen and I know California is hurting and want a way to help pay for things in their state then I say let them. He'll their about too here soon anyways.

 

[Pidgey]

Yeah, I knew about the difference between hemp and marijuana. Can you easily tell the plants apart by the leaves or whatever?

If they lifted the prohibition, so many people would grow it that there wouldn't be any money in it. That's... uhh... what that kind of regulation is for--price control by way of supply control.

 

[dahermit]

Yeah, I knew about the difference between hemp and marijuana. Can you easily tell the plants apart by the leaves or whatever?

I have never seen hemp growing, so I do not know. Being illegal to grow, and not used for narcotic value, no one in this country would bother growing it. I have however, seen marijuana on numerous occasions, albeit not a user.

If they lifted the prohibition, so many people would grow it that there wouldn't be any money in it. That's... uhh... what that kind of regulation is for--price control by way of supply control.

Correct. The only reason the current price is where it is, is because of the relative scarcity due to it being illegal and only imported/grown by people who dare.

 

[Pidgey]

Looks to me like they're virtually indistinguishable to the untrained eye. Here's a nifty writeup with a picture:

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.lifedynamix.com/articles/files/iStockHempLeafB.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.lifedynamix.com/articles/Nutrition/Truth_About_Hemp.html&h=300&w=450&sz=116&tbnid=4W93SvT4VY02UM:&tbnh=85&tbnw=127&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpicture%2Bof%2Ba%2Bhemp%2Bleaf&hl=en&usg=__la0mhpPxy-qGhuoWnxwer7xlWaw=&ei=eKfpSsnDEYu4MK_elJUN&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=3&ct=image&ved=0CBIQ9QEwAg

 

[Mr. Shaman]

Yeah, I knew about the difference between hemp and marijuana. Can you easily tell the plants apart by the leaves or whatever?

Whew! You are quite the "rookie", on the subject!!!!

Hemp/Marijuana....it's ALL the same plant. Planted, really-closely together, forces the plant's growth-height; contributing to longer-fibers (within the stalk).

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"Sexing" (determining the sex), to insure male-or-female plants, can be done when a starter-plant (only) has it's third-set of serrated-leaves.

The male-plant (taller, sparse-foliage; typically named "hemp") eventually produces the flowers (from which pollen is spread). The female-plant produces the "fruit" (buds), that...if pollinated...will produce seeds. If those buds are not pollinated, all energy will be put-into higher THC-content.

A bud just starting.....

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.....and, what you WANT!!

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Get on-board with REALITY....it's relatively-harmless.

 

[Mr. Shaman]

Do we want those "evil"-Canadians to corner the ENTIRE-MARKET??????