The Pentagon Of Hemp

Irony of ironies. The Pentagon was built on ground that used to house a government hemp farm.

Never-before seen journals found recently at a garage sale outside Buffalo, N.Y., chronicle the life of Lyster Dewey, who tended a United States government hemp farm in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Dewey, a botanist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, wrote in detail about growing strains of hemp called Keijo, Chinamington and others on a tract of government land known as Arlington Farm, reports Manuel Roig-Franzia of the

If the “Arlington” part of that name sounds familiar — as in Arlington National Cemetery — that’s because the acreage used to grow the hemp was handed over to the War Department in the 1940s for construction of the world’s largest office building: the Pentagon.

So in addition to the already-known intertwining of the noble hemp plant and U.S. history, now it is revealed that the very location of the Pentagon itself was once covered with verdant fields of cannabis.

History is more ironic than any novelist would dare. Try this one on for size. After outlawing hemp cultivation in 1937 the government was encouraging farmers to grow hemp for the war effort. Right here in Illinois even.

BTW the top link is safe for work. The home page is definitely Not Safe For Work.

Jack Herer Has Died

The Examiner reports that The Emperor of Hemp, Jack Herer, has died.

Jack Herer, much beloved Emperor of Hemp and marijuana hero. is dead at age 70. Herer was a tireless advocate in the battle to end marijuana prohibition. He was perhaps the world's most famous activist for the decriminalization of marijuana and the utilization of hemp.

Jack Herer was born June 18, 1939. A former Goldwater Republican, Herer became a political activist and the author of The Emperor Wears No Clothes, a book which is now a classic polemic in the effort to decriminalize marijuana.

Herer argued for the decriminalization and utilization of marijuana. Marijuana has been shown to be a renewable source of fuel, food, and medicine, and can be grown in virtually any part of the world. Herer was one of the first to show that the U.S. government deliberately hides the proof of marijuana's efficacy and utility. Herer devoted his life in support of cannabis, hemp and marijuana.

I met Jack in 1993 at a Rally in Rockford put on by then Rockford NORML director E.J. Pagel. Jack gave the greatest hugs. He will be missed.

If you haven't already, may I suggest reading a copy of Jack's book:

The Emperor Wears No Clothes: The Authoritative Historical Record of Cannabis and the Conspiracy Against Marijuana

You can also see a video about Jack's life:

Emperor of Hemp: The Jack Herer Story

It is narrated by Peter Coyote who I used to know from a time long ago in a galaxy far away.

The US Government did have a few good things to say about hemp at one time. Hemp for Victory. You may also like Hemp in Illinois. Some history about a time when the government wanted citizens to grow hemp.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Supplements For Sex

This is not about keeping a girlfriend for those times when the wife is too busy. It is about the over the counter supplement market.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration yesterday requested a recall of True Man Sexual Energy Nutrient Capsules and Energy Max Energy Supplement Men's Formula Capsules, illegal drug products that contain potentially harmful, undeclared ingredients. The products, often advertised as "all natural" alternatives to approved erectile dysfunction drugs, could interact with medications and cause dangerously low blood pressure. They contain substances that have similar structures to active ingredients in approved prescription drugs.

Well, low blood pressure is the last thing you want if sex is your object.

There is a natural substance on the market that is totally unregulated by the FDA that is Better Than Viagra. It is surprising that most people are unaware of it.

Update:

In an e-mail linearthinker notes that low blood pressure in the majority of the body is what you want. Low pressure, high flow. So when you get constrictions in the right places hydraulics does the rest.

I Support Democracy In Iraq - Contest

Coyote Organics is offering a prize for the design of the logo for the I Support Democracy In Iraq campaign.

A. Jacksonian of Dumb Looks Still Free thinks it should include a purple finger.

So far the owner of Coyote Organics and I will judge the contest (I may add one or two other judges as I corral them). The decision of the judges is final. If the judges can't come to a decision, my decision is final.

The contest will extend for thirty days from the first submission. I may extend that deadline (it will be announced at Power and Control) if there are no suitable submissions.

I will post the submissions as they come in.

Update: I have added some Submission Guidelines.

Update: 04 July 007 2139z

We have a winner.

Hemp in Illinois

Here is a piece I wrote in June of 2001. It is a historical note about hemp cultivation in Illinois during WW2.

==

Hemp has a very recent and interesting history in the Rockford, Illinois area.

The story starts in 1937 when marijuana was outlawed. Since American law enforcement was unable to tell the difference between hemp and marijuana hemp growing was outlawed.

Let jump forward to 1942. America is in a war with Japan and Japan has cut the US of A off from Asian hemp supplies from the Philippines and Java. Hemp was essential at that time for making naval ropes because of its long fibers, strength, and strength when wet. In addition it resisted rot and mildew making it relatively long lasting in a very harsh environment ranging from the frozen Arctic to the tropical Pacific.

The American response was to forget about hemp/marijuana prohibition and grant special licenses to mid-west farmers to grow hemp. In addition to educate and encourage farmers a film "Hemp for Victory" was made by the agriculture department to explain how important hemp was to the war effort and to encourage farmers to plant it.

Now we get closer to Rockford. A pilot plant built in Polo, Illinois in Ogle County was to serve as a center for hemp production in the surrounding area. It was expected that 42 hemp mills would be needed in the mid-west and 11 in Illinois.

The first harvest was in 1943. Because much of the machinery was untested, the hemp tangled machinery started breaking down. Production suffered and yet had to be completed before the end of harvest season. With a war on and labor at peak demand where could the Agriculture Department turn to fill its labor needs?

It turns out that Camp Grant in Rockford had quite a few German prisoners of war from the African campaign who were brought in by bus to help harvest the hemp. By January 6th of 1944 fifty-two truck loads of hemp had been brought to the hemp mill. One hundred and fifty one tons of fiber total were delivered to spinning mills on the East coast. The hemp brought a little over ninety-three dollars an acre.

By 1944 the government started closing the hemp plants because of the availability of alternate supplies from Central America and the Mediterranean region. By 1945 the Hemp for Victory Program was over.

If you would like to find out more about this story you can go to:

Polo's Hemp Mill.

Hemp for Victory video download.

Let me know if you have trouble with the Hemp for Victory video. All I have is a 28.8 dialup and haven't tested it.



Update: 29 Aug '06 2121z

The Hemp Industries Association has the latest hemp news. Today they are covering the California Hemp Bill Extensively.