INDUSTRIAL & AGRICULTURAL USES: The uses of fiber manufactured from hemp stalk are diverse, extremely lucrative and environmentally friendly. The global demand for hemp products is offering Washington State an opportunity to generate billions of dollars in revenues and provide well-paying manufacturing jobs in textile, paper, feed and food service industries.
Globally, environmentally aware consumers are increasingly choosing hemp paper, clothing and food products. Hemp products are available in malls, stores and shopping centers across Washington State, yet most of the hemp sold in the US and Canada is grown in Eastern Europe or China.
Industrial hemp forms a tall, fibrous stem which is the basis for its value, and can not be used as a drug! Hemp grown for fibre typically grows 6-12 feet in height and is harvested in about 120 days and requires little or no pesticide application.
Vermont lawmakers, in January 1996, overwhelmingly endorsed the cultivation of hemp as a cash crop in an attempt to replace the declining dairy farms and revitalize Vermont's farming communities. Europe has legalized the growth of industrial hemp and has turned the agricultural product into a multi-billion dollar per year industry. Canada is now growing hemp on an experimental basis.
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COMPASSIONATE MEDICAL USE: The smoking of marijuana for successful treatment and relief of chemotherapy, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, spasticity and hyperparathyroidism has been recognized and endorsed by the American Medical Association, Administrative Law Judge (DEA) Francis Young and many other prominent medical and judicial leaders.
A medical marijuana bill pending in the U.S. House of Representatives has attracted 16 co-sponsors from both major political parties. The list of co-sponsors includes: Barney Frank (D-Mass) who introduced the bill (H.R. 2618), Brian Bilbray (R-Cal.), Tom Campbell (R-Cal.) and Steven Gunderson (R-Wis).
The bill would allow eligible physicians to prescribe marijuana to patients undergoing cancer chemotherapy or radiology, as well as patients who have glaucoma, AIDS wasting syndrome, or muscle spasms from certain disorders including MS, paraplegia and quadriplegia.
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PERSONAL USE BY ADULTS: Current laws enforcing marijuana prohibition break up productive families, further overcrowd jails and divert scarce public safety resources away from issues and problems that really need attention.
Nicotine presents a high degree of toxicity and was first used as an insecticide in the 18th century. Caffeine, though far less than nicotine, is also toxic to the body. And whereby excessive alcohol consumption can be lethal, marijuana is medically nontoxic and not lethal to humans. Cannabis metabolites are nontoxic.
As with any legal substance, be it tobacco or alcohol, adults are able to decide if and when they will use those substances, without government intrusion.
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http://www.olywa.net/when/main.html
We understand that as a candidate, you must develop opinions on a plethora of issues important to the citizens of Washington state. It is our hope these brief facts will better inform you to answer the enclosed questionnaire. If you or members of your staff would like further information, please give us a call at (206) 781-5734.
We look foward to your response to the poll and will accurately publish the responses of primary winners after the election in September. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Washington Citizens for Hemp Reform