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Friday, October 10, 2003
"The wicked thing about both the little and the great 'collective faiths', prehistoric and historic,
is that they all, without exception, pretend to hold encompassed in their ritualized mythologies all of the truth ever to be known.
They are therefore cursed, and they curse all who accept them, with what I shall call the 'error of the found truth',
or, in mythological language, the sin against the Holy Ghost.
They set up against the revelations of the spirit the barriers of their own petrified belief, and therefore,
within the ban of their control, mythology, as they shape it, serves the end only of
binding potential individuals to whatever system of sentiments may have seemed
to the shapers of the past (now sanctified as saints, sages, ancestors, or even gods)
to be appropriate to their concept of a great society."
-- Joseph Campbell, from "Myths To Live By"
Thanks! to columnist Mark Morford, SF Gate, Morning Fix, for passing this on.
This About That
a personal observation by PvH
The fundamental impact of this dynamic can be seen quite clearly in human values which have been imposed, institutionalized, relayed and exaggerated, from generation to generation, perpetuating consumption, GMOs and chemicals over respect for the Natural Order.
Longterm, short-sighted economics is an equation for extinction. Prohibition of Cannabis is the quintessential example of an anti-Natural institution which was born of falsehood, imposed through man's imperfect laws, contrary to supremely significant Natural Law.
We are a young and terminally arrogant species. Our dominant economic system is diametrically opposed to the economy of Nature, which has been in existence so much longer than mankind that as a society, we assume that it will continue, no matter what we do to it. There are even some people who seem to take comfort in believing that after humans have destroyed themselves, the Water Planet will eventually rebalance itself and resume evolution the same beautiful way it did before Homo sapiens arrived.
By believing such a scenario, people are able to absolve themselves of the horrifying responsibility for destruction of the Water Planet, that rests with us all. As we approach synergistic collapse of environment, economics and society I send this appeal for a return to the economics of Nature. I call it "Dolphin Economics" which can be summed up in the simple phrase "You help me, help you, help everyone..."
Namaste, with gratitude for humility,
PvH
is that they all, without exception, pretend to hold encompassed in their ritualized mythologies all of the truth ever to be known.
They are therefore cursed, and they curse all who accept them, with what I shall call the 'error of the found truth',
or, in mythological language, the sin against the Holy Ghost.
They set up against the revelations of the spirit the barriers of their own petrified belief, and therefore,
within the ban of their control, mythology, as they shape it, serves the end only of
binding potential individuals to whatever system of sentiments may have seemed
to the shapers of the past (now sanctified as saints, sages, ancestors, or even gods)
to be appropriate to their concept of a great society."
-- Joseph Campbell, from "Myths To Live By"
Thanks! to columnist Mark Morford, SF Gate, Morning Fix, for passing this on.
This About That
a personal observation by PvH
The fundamental impact of this dynamic can be seen quite clearly in human values which have been imposed, institutionalized, relayed and exaggerated, from generation to generation, perpetuating consumption, GMOs and chemicals over respect for the Natural Order.
Longterm, short-sighted economics is an equation for extinction. Prohibition of Cannabis is the quintessential example of an anti-Natural institution which was born of falsehood, imposed through man's imperfect laws, contrary to supremely significant Natural Law.
We are a young and terminally arrogant species. Our dominant economic system is diametrically opposed to the economy of Nature, which has been in existence so much longer than mankind that as a society, we assume that it will continue, no matter what we do to it. There are even some people who seem to take comfort in believing that after humans have destroyed themselves, the Water Planet will eventually rebalance itself and resume evolution the same beautiful way it did before Homo sapiens arrived.
By believing such a scenario, people are able to absolve themselves of the horrifying responsibility for destruction of the Water Planet, that rests with us all. As we approach synergistic collapse of environment, economics and society I send this appeal for a return to the economics of Nature. I call it "Dolphin Economics" which can be summed up in the simple phrase "You help me, help you, help everyone..."
Namaste, with gratitude for humility,
PvH
Saturday, October 04, 2003
National Conference of State Legislatures Adopts Pro-Hemp Resolution
(Posted: 28-Dec-00)
The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) passed a pro-hemp resolution at its December 13-15 meeting in Washington, DC. The resolution calls for the following recommendations:
- NCSL strongly urges the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to collaboratively develop and adopt an official definition of industrial hemp, as per those nations currently producing hemp.
- NCSL also strongly urges Congress to amend US Code sections 21 U.S.C. Sec. 812 (10) and 21 U.S.C. Sec. 841 to distinguish between industrial hemp and marijuana varieties of cannabis as they relate to production, possession, delivery, and intended use.
- NCSL requests the USDA and the DEA to review the procedures under which their Canadian counterparts are authorized to sanction the commercial development of industrial hemp.
- NCSL also strongly urges Congress statutorily to direct the DEA to revise its policies to be less restrictive and to allow states to establish state regulatory programs, thus fostering the development of domestic hemp production by American farmers and manufacturers.
- Toward this end, a copy of this resolution will be sent to members of the U.S. Congress, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Acting DEA director Donnie R. Marshall, the office of ONDCP, and the President of the United States.
The NCSL is considering whether it will comment on the rules to be proposed in the Federal Resister regarding the treatment of hemp and hemp products.
Rep. Jon Nelson (R-ND) introduced the resolution before the Agriculture and International Trade Committee. The meeting, moderated by Rep. Maxine Bell (R-Idaho) offered a debate, with John Howell of Hempwell Inc. speaking on behalf of the resolution, and Col. Robert Maginnis of the Family Research Council speaking against it. A lengthy question and answer period was followed by a voice vote, whereby the measure passed by over the required three-quarters majority. The next day, the full plenary session conducted a lengthy debate and again, passed the measure by voice vote with a more than three-quarters majority.
More information about the NCSL is available online.
http://www.ncsl.org/
National Conference of State Legislatures
INFO@NCSL.ORG (autoresponse directory)
Denver Office:
7700 East First Place
Denver, CO 80230
Tel: 303-364-7700
Fax: 303-364-7800
Washington Office:
444 North Capitol Street, N.W., Suite 515
Washington, D.C. 20001
Tel: 202-624-5400
Fax: 202-737-1069
NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for research and educational purposes.
#
(End of Document)
State Legislatures Magazine: April 2002
Editor's Note: This article appeared in the April 2002 issue of NCSL's magazine, State Legislatures. To order copies or to subscribe, contact the marketing department at (303) 364-7700.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
On First Reading
It's Not Pot; It's Hemp: A Viable Agricultural Product
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pot it's not.
It's industrial hemp, used to make rope, clothes and car parts (replacing fiberglass), as well as to supply omega oils for cereals, nutrition bars, body oils and shampoos.
A distant cousin to its more maligned relative, marijuana, hemp has very little tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, the chemical that gives pot its kick). In fact, hemp's 1 percent THC is far too low to give anyone a psychoactive high. But since the 1930s growth of the plant has been banned in the United States, so hemp or hemp products must be imported.
Farmers in many states have expressed a desire to be able to grow hemp and compete with the foreign imports. Hawaii needs a replacement for its sugar crop; Maryland needs something to make up for its tobacco losses. And farmers in the northern border states look across to legal Canadian fields and wonder if the price for hemp exceeds whatever they are getting for the crops they grow legally on U. S. soil.
Addressing these concerns, supporters have asked Congress to direct the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to revise its policies and allow states to establish their own regulatory programs. NCSL policy developed in 2000 supports this move.
The DEA says that the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 bars not only marijuana, but any plant with THC, so hemp, even with faint traces, is illegal. There is a precedence for changing this, however. In the 1990s, drug-test thresholds were raised for opiates to accommodate the poppy seed industry.
Some 20 states have expressed an interest in hemp through enacted legislation, resolutions, voter initiatives and pending legislation. Such agricultural centers as South Dakota and Minnesota have backed hemp production. And former tobacco farmers in Kentucky successfully pushed legislation creating an Industrial Hemp Commission.
Hawaii is the only state to get a DEA permit to grow hemp as a trial product. The permit requires 12-foot fencing and infrared surveillance. A hair care products company, Alterna, is paying for the plot, but the security requirements for even a small test plot can be exorbitant.
For more information or copies of the legal arguments about hemp production, see www.thehia.org
©2002, National Conference of State Legislatures. All rights reserved.
#
(End of Document)
(Posted: 28-Dec-00)
The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) passed a pro-hemp resolution at its December 13-15 meeting in Washington, DC. The resolution calls for the following recommendations:
- NCSL strongly urges the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to collaboratively develop and adopt an official definition of industrial hemp, as per those nations currently producing hemp.
- NCSL also strongly urges Congress to amend US Code sections 21 U.S.C. Sec. 812 (10) and 21 U.S.C. Sec. 841 to distinguish between industrial hemp and marijuana varieties of cannabis as they relate to production, possession, delivery, and intended use.
- NCSL requests the USDA and the DEA to review the procedures under which their Canadian counterparts are authorized to sanction the commercial development of industrial hemp.
- NCSL also strongly urges Congress statutorily to direct the DEA to revise its policies to be less restrictive and to allow states to establish state regulatory programs, thus fostering the development of domestic hemp production by American farmers and manufacturers.
- Toward this end, a copy of this resolution will be sent to members of the U.S. Congress, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Acting DEA director Donnie R. Marshall, the office of ONDCP, and the President of the United States.
The NCSL is considering whether it will comment on the rules to be proposed in the Federal Resister regarding the treatment of hemp and hemp products.
Rep. Jon Nelson (R-ND) introduced the resolution before the Agriculture and International Trade Committee. The meeting, moderated by Rep. Maxine Bell (R-Idaho) offered a debate, with John Howell of Hempwell Inc. speaking on behalf of the resolution, and Col. Robert Maginnis of the Family Research Council speaking against it. A lengthy question and answer period was followed by a voice vote, whereby the measure passed by over the required three-quarters majority. The next day, the full plenary session conducted a lengthy debate and again, passed the measure by voice vote with a more than three-quarters majority.
More information about the NCSL is available online.
http://www.ncsl.org/
National Conference of State Legislatures
INFO@NCSL.ORG (autoresponse directory)
Denver Office:
7700 East First Place
Denver, CO 80230
Tel: 303-364-7700
Fax: 303-364-7800
Washington Office:
444 North Capitol Street, N.W., Suite 515
Washington, D.C. 20001
Tel: 202-624-5400
Fax: 202-737-1069
NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for research and educational purposes.
#
(End of Document)
State Legislatures Magazine: April 2002
Editor's Note: This article appeared in the April 2002 issue of NCSL's magazine, State Legislatures. To order copies or to subscribe, contact the marketing department at (303) 364-7700.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
On First Reading
It's Not Pot; It's Hemp: A Viable Agricultural Product
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pot it's not.
It's industrial hemp, used to make rope, clothes and car parts (replacing fiberglass), as well as to supply omega oils for cereals, nutrition bars, body oils and shampoos.
A distant cousin to its more maligned relative, marijuana, hemp has very little tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, the chemical that gives pot its kick). In fact, hemp's 1 percent THC is far too low to give anyone a psychoactive high. But since the 1930s growth of the plant has been banned in the United States, so hemp or hemp products must be imported.
Farmers in many states have expressed a desire to be able to grow hemp and compete with the foreign imports. Hawaii needs a replacement for its sugar crop; Maryland needs something to make up for its tobacco losses. And farmers in the northern border states look across to legal Canadian fields and wonder if the price for hemp exceeds whatever they are getting for the crops they grow legally on U. S. soil.
Addressing these concerns, supporters have asked Congress to direct the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to revise its policies and allow states to establish their own regulatory programs. NCSL policy developed in 2000 supports this move.
The DEA says that the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 bars not only marijuana, but any plant with THC, so hemp, even with faint traces, is illegal. There is a precedence for changing this, however. In the 1990s, drug-test thresholds were raised for opiates to accommodate the poppy seed industry.
Some 20 states have expressed an interest in hemp through enacted legislation, resolutions, voter initiatives and pending legislation. Such agricultural centers as South Dakota and Minnesota have backed hemp production. And former tobacco farmers in Kentucky successfully pushed legislation creating an Industrial Hemp Commission.
Hawaii is the only state to get a DEA permit to grow hemp as a trial product. The permit requires 12-foot fencing and infrared surveillance. A hair care products company, Alterna, is paying for the plot, but the security requirements for even a small test plot can be exorbitant.
For more information or copies of the legal arguments about hemp production, see www.thehia.org
©2002, National Conference of State Legislatures. All rights reserved.
#
(End of Document)
