HEMP REVOLUTION
Cannabis VS Cannabis….
How Does Hemp Differ From “Weed”?
- What Is Hemp?
- Why Is Hemp A Superfood?
- How Is Marijuana Medicinal?
Cannabis is “an embarrassment of riches”. Look Inside . . .
TOPIC: CANNABIS
Medical Migrants:
In 2013, little Addy was 6 months old. She began having seizures. In a year, she was having up to 300 a day!
Medication stopped them but made Addy comatose. Hearing about the effects of hemp oil (CBD),
Addy’s parents moved to Colorado. There it is legal for them to give Addy hemp oil. The oil reduced the seizures significantly, vastly increasing the quality of Addy’s life – and that of her parents.
– from National Geographic, June 2015
Cannabis VS Cannabis….
Or hemp versus marijuana. Certainly our federal government seems not to know the difference, but there’s no reason why we shouldn’t.
The confusion exists because both hemp and marijuana are classified as Cannabis sativa. Although both come from the same species, they are genetically different and are bred differently.
Simply stated: Hemp makes you healthy. Marijuana makes you high.*
Right now, Canadian hemp companies are making millions of American dollars from sales of hemp products. And, our country’s hemp needs are met by importing hemp mainly from China and also from Canada. Meanwhile, it remains illegal to grow hemp in the US.1
Simultaneously Americans swarm to Colorado for the right to use marijuana for both medicinal and recreational purposes. That state estimates an annual wholesale market size for marijuana of nearly $600 million.2 (By how much will your state increase it’s gross income from sales this year?)
* Yes, I know marijuana can make you well too. See “Medicinal Marijuana”.
Hemp & THC
Both hemp and marijuana come from the Cannabis sativa plant (Gr. kannabis; L. cannabis). The difference is in the amount of THC each type contains.
Hemp is often referred to as “agricultural hemp” or “industrial hemp” to differentiate it from marijuana.
Hemp’s THC level, by law, is kept to less than 0.3%. (That is 3 parts THC to every 1000 parts of the whole plant. As one person noted, “It wouldn’t get a mouse high.”)
On the other hand, marijuana averages 18.7% THC! This according to a report on NBC regarding marijuana sold in Colorado.3
THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is the psychoactive compound found in marijuana. It is concentrated in the leaves and buds of the female plant.
Interestingly, hemp is unlikely to produce high THC contents even if cross-pollinated with marijuana. In fact, the inverse is true: Hemp cross-pollinating can ruin a marijuana crop by lowering its THC content.
Cannabis VS Cannabis….
Footnotes
1 Isn’t this reminiscent of the days, not long ago, when stevia could only be sold as a supplement, not as a sweetener?
2 This figure is based on email correspondence from CMW Media the public relations firm for HempMeds, makers of Real Scientific Hemp Oil (CBD).
3 The article, subtitled “Not Your Father’s Weed”, noted that today’s marijuana is nearly twice as potent as that used a couple of decades ago.
What Is Hemp?
Sometimes called “the green buffalo”, every part of the hemp plant has its uses. Among these uses are food, clothing, rope, paper, building materials, animal bedding, plastic, paint, and fuel. In these pages, we are interested in hemp seed. The seed is where we find the nutrition news.
Mainly harvested from male plants, the seed is found at the tops of the plants. This is very clear when one watches a hemp harvest. 4
Another difference is in how the plants look. Agricultural hemp, sometimes referred to as “hemp stalk,” grows differently than THC-containing cannabis.
Hemp-cannabis plants are sown
very close together, grown to a height of 10-15 feet before harvest, and look similar to bamboo.
Marijuana-cannabis plants are spaced 6-8 feet apart and grown to only five feet.
What Is Hemp?
Footnotes
4 Nothing can differentiate hemp from marijuana more clearly than watching a hemp harvest. If you can’t access the link above, search “hemp harvest YouTube”
Hemp History
In use for thousands of years, until the 20th century, Hemp was one of humankind’s most significant crops.
According to MIT’s The Thistle, hemp was probably the earliest plant cultivated for textile fiber.
Archaeologists have found a remnant of hemp cloth in ancient Mesopotamia (currently Iran and Iraq), dating back to 8,000 BC. (This reinforces hemp’s
reputation for producing durable textiles.)
By the middle ages, hemp had spread to Europe, becoming an important crop, supplying much of the need for food and
fiber.
Sailing ships were dependent on canvas, hemp rope, and oakum.5 (Canvas is three times stronger than cotton and is resistant to salt water.)
Hemp remained imperative to rope
making until after WWII. In colonial times, farmers were required by law to grow
hemp. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams all grew hemp. The Declaration of Independence was drafted on hemp paper.
The hemp industry continued to thrive in the US for about 150 Years. Then, in 1937, hemp cultivation was banned. Many hemp farmers and others involved in the hemp
industry were forced into bankruptcy.
Ironically, the ban took place at about the time Popular Mechanics declared hemp as the next billion dollar crop, pointing to some 25,000 different uses for the plant.
What caused the ban? There is some disagreement about this, but apparently some combination of politics, money, and
false morality convinced the government that all hemp was evil and that “Reefer Madness” was real.
The ban was lifted temporarily in 1942. Hundreds of thousands of acres were once again put under cultivation to support the war effort.
Hemp was used for rope, fire hoses, sails, and even uniforms. This was short-lived however.
In 1957, hemp was banned once again.Industrial/agricultural hemp was legalized in Canada in 1998.
Although legislation signed by President Obama in 2014 made it possible for hemp to be grown in the US within certain
restrictions, overall, it remains illegal for hemp to be cultivated here.
That is not to say that hemp is not used in this country. Remember, it is imported to the US mainly from China, and secondarily from Canada
Hemp History
Footnotes
5 Oakum is tarred hemp fibers used for caulking on wooden ships
Hemp & Health
The shelled, inner portion of hemp seeds contains edible“hemp nuts”. (One company calls them “hemp hearts”.)
The seeds are the nutrition news. They can be eaten whole, hulled, ground, or pressed into edible oil.
The only seeds with a complete protein profile, they are also rich in essential fatty acids.
Hemp contains more protein by weight than beef, chicken, or fish. And, it contains a 4:1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids (near ideal).
It also contains the rare GLA, gamma linolenic acid, a fatty acid found in mother’s milk, evening primrose, borage, and black currant seed oils. This oil is essential to those who cannot make the conversion.6
Hemp also contains cholesterol-fighting phytosterols, magnesium, iron, and fiber. Perhaps most important, hemp seeds are tasty.
As I wrote in “Seeds Of Life” (December 2012), “Eating these delicious buttery bits makes me think of a walk in the forest.”
Hemp & Health
Footnotes
6 Chronic eczema is one symptom of an inability to convert omega-6 oils to GLA in the prostaglandin cascade.
The following conditions also inhibit the conversion: moderate to high consumption of alcohol; insulin deficiency (diabetes); aging; lack of sufficient zinc, magnesium, vitamin B6, vitamin C and niacin; viral infections, radiation and cancer; use of anti prostaglandin drugs.
Hemp Protein Close Up
The shelled, inner portion of hemp seeds contains edible“hemp nuts”. (One company calls them “hemp hearts”.)
The seeds are the nutrition news. They can be eaten whole, hulled, ground, or pressed into edible oil.
The only seeds with a complete protein profile, they are also rich in essential fatty acids.
Hemp contains more protein by weight than beef, chicken, or fish. And, it contains a 4:1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids (near ideal).
It also contains the rare GLA, gamma linolenic acid, a fatty acid found in mother’s milk, evening primrose, borage, and black currant seed oils. This oil is essential to those who cannot make the conversion.6
Hemp also contains cholesterol-fighting phytosterols, magnesium, iron, and fiber. Perhaps most important, hemp seeds are tasty.
As I wrote in “Seeds Of Life” (December 2012), “Eating these delicious buttery bits makes me think of a walk in the forest.”
Hemp’s “Sweet 16”
At this time, hemp as oil, seeds, or protein powder is foundin the following product categories. (They are listed in
descending order of new products introduced.)
Snack bars Functional drinks
Lip gloss Oils (cooking)
Soap Baby snacks
Body care Bath & shower
Breakfast cereals Beverage concentrates
Chocolate Crackers
Vitamins & minerals Nuts & seeds
Dog food Other savory snacks
There are also innovations in dairy replacements such as hemp milk, frozen dessert, and yogurt.
One product combines hemp milk with coconut milk while another combines hemp milk with greens (e.g., wheatgrass and matcha green tea).
Some manufacturers add to the confusion between hemp and marijuana by putting marijuana leaves on the packaging of
their hemp products. Frankly, that’s just plain silly.
Hemp’s “Sweet 16”
Footnotes
7 “Trends In Hemp” presentation by Tom Verhile, Innovation Insights Director, DataMonitor Consumer at the Ingredient Marketplace, Orlando, FL, 2015
What Is CBD Oil?
In our cover comment, we wrote about Addy, a little girl who was born with a brain impairment that caused her to have seizures.
By the time she was a year old, she was having as many as 300 seizures every day.
Medication stopped the seizures, but
left Addy “sleeping all the time. Like a rag doll”. Addelyn Patrick’s mother reported
Addy’s story, which appeared in National Geographic. (June 2015)
After investigating strong anecdotal evidence that CBD oil could help ameliorate seizures, Addy’s parents relocated from Maine to Colorado Springs. They joined 100 other families seeking to help their children. “Most couldn’t medicate their children with
cannabis in their home states without risking arrest for trafficking or even child abuse,” writes reporter Hampton Sides.
But here’s the odd thing, folks, CBD (cannabidiol) oil is non-psychoactive. It can be extracted from either hemp-cannabis or marijuana-cannabis but in either case, CBD oil doesn’t contain significant amounts of THC.
We repeat, CBD is a non-psychoactive ingredient. According to Stuart Tomc of Cannavest, legal opinion exists stating that CBD does not violate current drug law
because it is a non-psychoactive agent.8
Further, our own government holds a patent on CBD oil through the Department of Health and Human Services.
A PubMed search reveals over 1300 studies on the oil. Yet, the Patricks had to move across the country to help their child.
Addy hasn’t been hospitalized since she began taking CBD oil. (She had been in the hospital 20 times the previous nine months.) She still has one or two
seizures a day but they are far less intense. “She listens more. She laughs,” says her mother.
Asked about their cross-country move, Meagan Patrick replied, “If they were growing something on Mars that
might help Addy, I’d be in my backyard building a spaceship.”
Like THC, CBD is a phytocannabinoid and interacts with the human ECS. (See “Medicinal Marijuana”.)
Some experts believe CBD oil will prove to have a much broader range of medical applications than THC. Known beneficial effects include those involving
neurodegeneration, autoimmune disorders, heart, and liver health.
Cannavest reports that “certain cannabinoids” can reduce inflammatory responses in autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, arthritis, lupus,
encephalomyelitis, and Parkinson’s.
They also report that the cannabinoid role in neurodegeneration is evidenced in animal models of stroke, head injury,
cerebral ischemia, etc.
All of these effects are basically
achieved by modulation of the immune system. Search “How to use CBD oil”, if you are interested in looking
more deeply into this promising therapeutic modality
What Is CBD Oil?
Footnotes
8 Recently on his HealthQuest Podcast, nutrition reporter Steve Lankford interviewed Stuart Tomc.
Stuart is Vice President of Human Nutrition for Cannavest, producers of 90% of the world’s CBD oil.
Cannavest hemp is grown in Holland where it is harvested and the oil produced.
Medicinal Marijuana
Science Seeks To Unlock Marijuana’s Secrets
This is the title of a recent article in National Geographic. (June 2015).
Reporter Hampton Sides points out that after nearly 70 years of the cannabis ban, 23 states and the District of Columbia
have made marijuana legal for some medical uses.
According to Scientific American (May 1, 2014), 86 percent of Americans support giving doctors permission to prescribe the drug while a majority also favor legalization for recreational use.
Although still classified as a Schedule I drug, even the US Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy, is interested in what research
will reveal.9
Sides summarizes marijuana’s potential
therapeutic uses: relieve pain, aid sleep, stimulate appetite, and reduce stress. Besides being an analgesic, marijuana works against nausea, is a bronchodilator
(think asthma), and an anti-inflammatory.
Some scientists think it may help the body regulate vital functions, including protecting the brain against trauma, boosting the immune system, and helping with post traumatic stress.
It has also been used successfully to treat glaucoma, Crohn’s disease, and Tourette’s syndrome.
In Scientific American, Roni Jacobson sums up the medical evidence. Her summary includes the treatment of cancer, epilepsy, HIV/AIDS, and multiple sclerosis (MS).
In this article, the effectiveness of marijuana is compared with drugs usually prescribed for those conditions.
Many times the drugs outperform marijuana. Jacobson made two observations about this:
-
- clinical results don’t consider the improvements in quality of life which are frequently reported by users;
- some pharmaceutical treatments may be more effective but have highly undesirable side effects.
She adds that for some conditions, such as MS, medical marijuana can be a sound alternative.
The active components of marijuana are called cannabinoids (or phytocannabinoids, i.e., cannabinoids
from plants).
THC and CBD are the first and second
most prominent cannabinoids found in marijuana. (CBD also occurs in hemp. See “What Is CBD Oil?”)
Undoubtedly, the most interesting thing about cannabinoids is that our bodies also make them and have receptors for them.
Thus, we are predisposed to uptake
the cannabinoids from marijuana and hemp.10
The network of cannabinoid receptors in the body is called the ECS or endocannabinoid system. This is a
complex signaling system that has widespread effects in the body.
Among these are the effects on appetite,
metabolism, blood sugar regulation, obesity, pain sensation, oxidative stress, thermoregulation, eye health, mood, memory, immunity and more.
If you want to know more about medicinal
marijuana, I strongly recommend “Medical Uses of Marijuana” National Geographic, June 2015. The article in its entirety is available to read online (without any obligation).
In it, Hampton Sides interviews the Israeli chemist who discovered THC (in 1963); a Denver botanist who is described as the “Johnny Appleseed of marijuana”; a Spanish biochemist who is seeing miracle recoveries from cancer – in mice; the Patrick family’s trek to Colorado Springs; and a university geneticist who has declared his goal to assemble the 800 nucleotides of the marijuana plant in his lifetime.
This last scientist, Nolan Kane, PhD, says of his work with cannabis,.
“…the science will not be incremental. It will be transformative.
Transformative not just in our understanding of the plant but also of ourselves—our brains, our neurology, our psychology.
Transformative in terms of the biochemistry of its compounds.
Transformative in terms of its impact across several different industries, including medicine, agriculture, and biofuels. It may even transform part of our diet [with hemp seed]. ..
” Cannabis, Kane says, “is an
embarrassment of riches.”
Medicinal Marijuana
Footnotes
9 Schedule I classification describes a substance as dangerous with no valid medical purpose and a high potential for abuse – putting marijuana in the same category as heroin.
10 Perhaps the most familiar interactive botanical compound is phytoestrogen. Black cohosh and soy both have phytoestrogenic properties.
Siri Says: Concerning Mommies & Money
1) Mommies – Using marijuana for morning sickness is dangerous.
Because of the THC, marijuana use during
pregnancy interrupts fetal brain development.
Not only can this result in permanent damage, it can compromise the
development of future cognitive abilities.
Research has shown that fetuses exposed to cannabis have significantly lower levels
of the protein needed for the development of cognitive abilities required to conduct planning, memory, decision making and organization functions.
2) Money – The US potential market
size for legal marijuana is $34.983 billion
