                                    Hemp

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     The story:

     This text file is about the hemp plant, the main ingredient in 
     marijuana.This is a two-sided text file, both based on opinion 
     and fact.

     Please read this!:
     This is a point-counterpoint text, and two different points of
     view should be expressed. If you have additional comments or
     facts which you know are true, or a personal opinion, please 
     add them to their appropriate areas in this text. This is done 
     in the following manner:
     
     1. If you have UNBIASED INFORMATION obtained from a RELIABLE
     SOURCE, put it in the COLD HARD FACTS section. Please do not 
     leave any personal information in the COLD HARD FACTS section. 
     
     2. Number your facts.
     
     4. If you wish to leave your personal opinion, place it in the 
     OPINIONS section. If you want to, you may leave your name at the 
     end of your personal opinion. Please place a row of "." after 
     your opinion.
     
     5. Rename the file with the next consecutive # from which you got it. 
     For example, if you have added text to the file, and if the file was 
     named HEMP0002.ZIP, which contains HEMP0002.TXT, you would rename the 
     file HEMP0003.TXT, and then ZIP it using the name HEMP0003.ZIP. 
     
     6. Then, upload this file to ObSesSioN bBs at 1-(616)-969-9416, or
     1-(616)-969-0531. Please do a text search for your new file a #. If it
     is already there, please take a moment to rename your file with the
     most current #.

     7. Sometime next month (which will be in December of '93), I will 
     download all of the files and add all of the info into a new file.
     This is due to some files may have different info. If two people
     download the same file, and then they both upload it with new info... 
     Well, you get the idea. It could get messy. That's why I will straighten
     it all out in the December text!

     IMPORTANT!!!!!!!!:
     
     THIS TEXT IS NOT ONLY ABOUT HEMP'S USES AS A DRUG, IT IS ALSO ABOUT THE
     AGRICULTURAL AND COMMERCIAL USES!!!!!!!
     
     This text is meant to be a chain-type text, but you need not add text 
     if you do not have an informational comment. 
     Please DO NOT edit text in this file, other than text YOU have added!
     Hopefully, we can get the personal opinions of all who read this text.
     
     EVERYONE'S OPINION COUNTS!!!!!!!!!
     
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     DISCLAIMER:
     This text contains controversial material.
     This text does not necessarily reflect the views of ObSesSioN bBs ,
     its members, or its affiliates.
     This text in no way condones or supports the use of hemp, or ANY of
     its ILLEGAL derivatives. (E.G. MARIJUANA)
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     BACKGROUND ON AUTHOR WHO STARTED THIS:
        I am a High School student. I started this because I feel I do
        not know as much as I should about hemp, marijuana, its derivatives, 
        or its uses. I am not a drug user, but I, along with many of my
        piers, are interested in this subject.

---------------------------------COLD HARD FACTS:-----------------------------

1. Cannabis is another name for Marijuana.
2. "Marijuana" was the Mexican name given to cannabis.
3. Cannabis was first cultivated in China around 4000 B.C.
4. The original drafts of The Declaration of Independence were written on 
   hemp paper.
5. Hemp is a source of fiber for cloth and cordage for rope.
6. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew hemp.
7. George Washington, The first U.S. president declared "Make the most of the
   hemp seed. Sow it everywhere."
8. The hemp fiber is located inside the long stem of the plant.
9. Sterilized hemp seed is commonly sold as bird seed.
10. Rolling papers, like Bambu, are made from hemp paper.
11. In 1937, the Marijuana Tax Stamp Act prohibited the sale, use, and 
    cultivation of hemp/marijuana in the United States.
12. In 1942, during World War II, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released
    the film, "Hemp For Victory", which encouraged American Farmers to grow
    hemp for the war effort.
13. Hemp is cultivated all over the world.
14. Today, China, Korea, Italy, Hungary, Russia, and France are among the 
    countries that grow hemp for paper, fiber, and other products.
15. Thirty-five states have passed legislation permitting medical use of 
    marijuana.
16. Twelve Americans recieve prescribed marijuana from the U.S. Government.
17. Hemp seed is one of nature's most perfect foods. The oil from hemp seeds
    has the highest percentage of essential fatty acids, and the lowest
    percentage of saturated fats.
18. One acre of hemp will produce as much paper as four acres of trees.
19. Cannabis is classified as a schedule 1 drug by the by the Food and
    Drug Administration.
20. Designated as a narcotic, marijuana can not be prescribed by physicians
    to patients.
21. In 1988, the DEA's own administrative law judge concluded that "Marijuana
    is one of the safest, theraputically active substances known to man.
22. Cannabis can be used as a medicine to treat nausea, pain, and muscle
    spasms.
23. Cannabis alleviates the symptoms of glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, AIDS,
    migraine headaches, and other debilitating ailments.
24. More than 400,000 Americans are arrested each year on marijuana charges.
25. More than 400,000 Americans die from diseases related to cigarette 
    smoking each year. More than 150,000 Americans die of alcohol abuse each
    year. But in 10,000 years of useage, no one has ever died from marijuana.
26. The active ingredient in marijuana is THC.
27. In Western cultures marijuana is prepared most often as a tobacco like
    mixture that is smoked in a pipe or rolled into a cigaette.
28. One of the oldest known drugs, cannabis was ackowledged as early as 2700
    BC, in a Chiese mauscript.

-------------------------------Personal Opinions------------------------------

"I believe that marijuana should be legalized. The hemp plant has tremendous
theraputic abilities, and a lot of agricultural uses. I'm still undecided
on whether or not it should be legalized for use in society as a drug. Maybe
it should be treated the same as alcohol, with legal use, but legal penalties
for its abuse"
                The author
                         -"Scrappy"

                        P.S. If you have any comments/concerns 
                        you wish to address to me, leave me a 
                        message on: 
                        ObSesSioN bBs 1-(616)-969-9416 or
                        1-(616)-969-0531 in the "User to User"
                        message area. If you are 18 or under, 
                        leave the message in the "Teens" area.

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