Introduction

Let us make it our goal is to identify and discuss and implement sustainable business models that address the needs of South Africa’s and ultimately of the world's poorest citizens. Let us link the pursuit of profit with the goal of economic development and create a new lens through which traditional business and development models can be viewed. Through this lens, we explore the rise from poverty for those customers currently underserved by markets worldwide.

This concept emerges from addressing and finding solutions for the priority problem which is poverty alleviation and developing the concept of “Alleviating Poverty Through Profit”:

The goal is to create a new platform for the discussion, implementation and development through enterprise of best practices, new research, and on-the-ground activities related to business engagement with low-income communities, and private sector-led developments. We encourage feedback from development professionals, business leaders, social entrepreneurs, NGOs, policy makers, academics, activists, and practitioners and to participate in contributing in a positive ways to solving problems that ultimately affect all of us.

The Problem

Simply stated the problem is poverty and a desired result of a solution would be the alleviation of poverty and at best the eradication thereof.

The Solution

The solution lies within an integrated multi-dimensional approach. The concept of poverty alleviation is indeed a broad concept so let us address, discuss and implement best practice ideas that address immediate concerns and form part of a solution for the rise out of poverty.

In practice then, the priority problem is housing or the lack thereof and we can all agree that there could be a possible solution, so let us discuss housing as the first topic.

The next priority problem can be addressed under “Nutrition.” Nutrition encompasses and addresses health especially in relation to the HIV/AIDS and immunity. Nutrition also addresses education as it is imperative for learners to have adequate nutrition. Nutrition also addresses food security issues.

What if there was a vegetable that would grow in any climate, would rival meat in nutritive value, would mature in 3 to 5 days, could be planted any day of the year, would require neither soil nor sunshine, would rival tomatoes in Vitamin C, would be free of waste in preparation and could be cooked with little fuel or solar energy? Is there such a thing? There certainly is!

You will see that solutions to these two priority problems contribute in part to alleviating poverty while providing employment and entrepreneurial opportunities as well as housing and food.

A major cause of poverty in South Africa and this is probably true for most developing and third world countries, is the lack of opportunity for earning income in rural areas. This results in a migration from rural areas to urban areas, the proliferation of squatter camps and the demand for urban housing. A solution lies in the provision of an agricultural crop than can be grown as a cash subsistence crop, thus supporting a rural economy. Is there such a crop? There certainly is and this will be revealed towards the end of this document.

The Opportunity

We have a window of opportunity in South Africa of sustainable development through the government’s housing subsidy program. There are not many governments that provide housing subsidies for poorer citizens and this subsidy arises as a measure against previous injustices and may not always be available. We therefore need to utilize this subsidy as the first “stepping stone” towards the alleviation of poverty.

Housing

Perhaps the “Housing Crisis” is more an economical crisis with millions of families who simply cannot afford a “normal” house, no matter how cheaply a builder tries to build it. I will demonstrate that through the provision of housing, this could indeed go a long way towards solving the ‘economic crisis.”

So what if we could use the latest space-age materials and technologies and combine them with “cutting edge” designs that incorporate energy saving features? What if these structures provide many advantages over current deliveries such as price, aesthetics etc. Would these not result in long term savings for the homeowners in service charges? Through education and information on passive solar design and options regarding home orientation and window placements, clients would realise more savings and a more comfortable home.

What if we could develop such a top-structure? Would we want to plug the holes left by failed projects where the infrastructure is inadequate and overpriced and the plots are too small for future expansion?

What if we were to develop a world’s first modern African village that any one of us would be proud to live in? Is this possible?

A stock of affordable housing is essential to a vibrant and competitive town, city or country. Stable and affordable housing is also central to reducing poverty because it provides a foundation from which families can more easily find and keep jobs, attend to the health and education of their children, and move toward self-sufficiency.

SUSTAINABLE SMART MODERN AFRICAN DIGITAL ECO- VILLAGE (SMADEV) 

PROPOSAL and CONCEPT:

A world’s first: delivery of Sustainable, Smart Modern African, Digital Eco-village (SMADEV) • Modern deliverables for the 21st Century (Solar, photovoltaic and waterless applications) • Job creation and entrepreneurial opportunities • Poverty Alleviation • Enterprise through development and development through enterprise

Developers, Real Estate Companies Local municipalities and especially the public are looking for new exciting innovative alternative development initiatives that work. This concept provides an opportunity for Business Leaders to exercise their Corporate Social Responsibility budget, to brand their name in a positive way and leave a lasting legacy.

In a nutshell

n’Kozi Homes is the brainchild of inventor, patent holder and eco-preneur, Joseph Feigelson. n’Kozi therefore has propriety technology that provides an integrated solution for the number one demand product in Africa, namely energy efficient housing.

In short, the technology and system uses conventional SABS and Agrément approved building materials and solar innovations. This allows the provision of comfortable and more than adequate shelter for a multitude of uses. This product, composed of interlocking equilateral triangles, provides more volume over a larger surface area using less material than any other system while providing the strongest structure known to man. The equilateral triangles are made from 45 pieces of identical material. (What could be simpler?) The triangles are then assembled in a side by side manner to form a framework shaped as a truncated Icosahedron or gyroelongated pentagonal pyramid.

The structure and design is completely scalable and can be built in large dimensions without requiring intermediate support. The introductory model can be viewed as 2 separate modules, which can be mixed and matched in various combinations. This makes for infinite design possibilities and expansion possibilities.

The National Technical Director of the NHBRC (National Housing Bureau and Registration Council), Fred Wagenaar remarked that the n’Kozi concept was the most innovative concept he had seen in the last 32 years that he had been evaluating innovative housing

Joseph Feigelson was nominated and accepted in two categories for The Tech Museum Awards in the Economic Development and Health categories. The Awards honors individuals and organizations that are creatively applying technology to benefit humanity.

It is apparent that the history has been failure in mass delivery of housing. It is also apparent that we are failing miserably at present in the delivery of mass housing. If we keep doing things in the same way and expect different results, this is insane.

(Perhaps we can take a lesson from history and Henry Ford. When Henry Ford wanted to start mass manufacturing the going earning rate was $1 per day. He decided to pay his workers $2.50 per day so they could afford to purchase his cars and Henry Ford almost single handedly created the American middle class!) We could pay workers double and then some providing they purchase n’Kozi houses and continue to build and earn income?

The n’Kozi concept offers positive workable alternative solutions to the challenges faced by the existing type of housing developments and those that are currently practiced by developers.

The delivery of these homes will create skills transfer leading to job creation and entrepreneurial opportunities resulting in poverty alleviation.

It is important that you consider the n’Kozi structures for a number of reasons:

These include:

• The importance of increasing the range of housing opportunities available to the demands of the growing populace.

• An innovative, energy efficient, cost-effective and affordable housing and delivery mechanism.

• Aesthetically pleasing and mildly reminiscent of traditional African structures. • Turn-key solutions (Project linked) • Solar innovations • ICT (Information and Communication Technology) infrastructure. Through development of the ICT infrastructure and using ICT for social benefit, a domino effect can be achieved that will create and improve access to markets. It would expand the use of, or improve digital hardware and software, lower the cost of and widen the reach of digital connectivity while providing skills transfer to improve and broaden the digital technology and life skills base. ICT is therefore an integral part of the arsenal against poverty. The development of a Smart Sustainable Modern African Digital Eco-Village (SMADEV) will serve as a: • Blueprint for a Model Village development that can be rolled out in all Provinces as well as other countries, especially on the African continent. • Cultural, Tourist, Health and Eco-Villages would serve as a tourist venues and highlights. Tourist accommodations can be offered within the scope of the developments. Revenue streams for SMADEV would be obtained through tourism, sales of agricultural produce, handicrafts, arts and entertainment and cultural foods.

The benefits of a n’Kozi structure:

• Affordable • Fire resistant • Weather proof • Unique African style • Premanufactured and easily transportable • Cool in summer, warm in winter (Insulated) • Scalable, Spacious (Multitude of uses, eg classrooms, clinics, etc) • 5-10 days to build • Eco- friendly light weight building materials • Portable – simple disassembly and reassembly • Free lights for life (Optional) • Free hot water for life (Optional) • Waterless Toilets (Optional) • Modern African Style • Thatched roofing (Optional) • Cultural painted exterior (Optional) • Available in kit form • Agrément and SABS • NHBRC

Vision A development for a targeted community (defined in any way except racially) that provides amenities for living comfortably, affordably and in harmony with nature through indoor and community organic gardens and permaculture (edible) landscapes. The focal point would be a community centre with a laundry facility, meeting and recreational facilities with outdoor park/picnic facilities. Other optional community facilities could include a crèche, a frail care centre, swimming pool, gymnasium, jacuzzi, etc This would be surrounded by clusters of n’Kozi homes that are 33 m2 to 99m2 houses depending on the community. The community would also have an ICT centre with computer facilities for email, Internet and residents may order groceries online that would be delivered to the community centre thus saving transport and hassles. One would also be able to purchase cellular technology and airtime. Philosophy

Our philosophy is an evolving discourse between people and their environment, technology, structures, space, and the meaning thereof. If Design is the building of a cultural ideal, then the poetic integration of technology into real spaces, for real people is an appropriate goal for our times. We cannot solve 20th century problems with 20th century thinking, we need new and innovative approaches that clearly distinguish between providing solutions or contributing to problems. Almost all evidence points to the fact that any community with sub-standard housing is also a community with poor health, a high incidence of infectious diseases, high crime rate, low family stability and low moral standards. Under such conditions, attempts at improving health, education and social responsibility are destined to fail. The reverse is also true insofar that an improvement in housing conditions leads to a spontaneous attempt at improving living conditions with quite a pronounced “knock-on” effect. We all realize that it is no longer feasible to waste precious fresh water for sewage and we need to develop without waterborne sewage by using waterless toilets that save fresh water and costly infrastructure.

The framework of our housing system is currently made from timber but can also be manufactured from mild steel. The exterior and interior cladding are really academic and standard approved building materials can be used.

The maturation of the SA Pine industry over the past decade, has made timber a suitable, renewable, sustainable, cost effective and SABS approved construction material, thereby facilitating n’Kozi Homes timber framed structures to make an impact in the entire housing market. Our technology is unique, has a patent, and has no competition with similar design or concept. We have completed the design and development and construction of our first five products and prototypes; IKOZI 1, allowing us to offer a larger, better and less expensive structure compared to the standard structures that are prevalent in the government subsidized low-cost housing sector.

n’Kozi Homes currently offers an entry level model of 33 square meters (“IKOZI 1”) and up to 44 square meters with an optional internal mezzanine addition. The structure has a timber framework (SA Pine), and is clad with extruded rigid polystyrene (flame retardant and non-toxic - Isoboard), and the exterior is coated with adhesive cement (Cemcrete or Skimplast). Isoboard , Cemcrete and Skimplast are Agrément approved building materials and make the EIFS (Exterior Insulated & Finishing System). (All components are standard approved building materials) The IKOZI 1 has a 3.7 x 3 meter addition that accommodates the front entry door, toilet, shower bathroom door and window and kitchen sink in cabinet. The main ground floor area is undivided providing versatility but is designed to accommodate double bed and pedestals, 2 clothes cupboards, lounge suite, and entertainment centre. (See architectural plans and renditions on the website) http://www.nkozihomes.co.za/Products.htm

n’Kozi Homes entry level model consists of 2 modules that can be mixed and matched in various arrangements. The first module upon which our patent is based consists of 15 equilateral triangles with each length being 3.7 meters and provides 22 square meters. The 3.7 meters is the minimum length that allows our structure to be considered furniture-friendly as determined by CAD, (Computer Aided Design). The addition to the structure provides an additional 11 square meters bringing the total floor space without the mezzanine to 33 square meters. The add-on can be accommodated on 5 sides of the IKOZI module. The original IKOZI can be accommodated on four sides of the addition. For example if a client wanted a 44 square meter structure, this could be accomplished by adding two 11 meter modules to the IKOZI and then it is called IKOZI 2. A 55 meter structure would have 3 modules added and would be called IKOZI 3 and so forth up to IKOZI 5.

Our patented system does not require a system of hubs or connectors for the apexes, only basic woodworking functions. The necessary woodworking functions required to produce an n’Kozi structure are:

1.) Surfacing Wood needs to be sized so that all the pieces required producing the framework are uniform in size. This is normally accomplished with a Thickness Planer or a Moulder.

2.) Ripping,

If a Moulder is not used, the wood pieces would need to be rip-sawn longitudinally to obtain the correct profile. This is best accomplished using a Table Saw or Band Saw.

3.) Cross-cutting Compound bevel mitred cuts are required on the ends of the structural members. This is best accomplished with a Radial Arm Saw.

Initial production requirements can utilize basic stationary woodworking tools and can be locally manufactured in most woodworking facilities across the country, wherever the timber, tools and are available.

Prices: Our prices are based on individual units and have not made allowances for economies of scale

• DIY kits from R10,000 • Erected shells from R1000 per m2 • Turnkey with options from R2000 per m2

Basic introductory model of 33 m2 shell includes 4 windows, interior/exterior door and waterproofing.)

A turnkey 33 square meter structure including a passive solar hot water system and photovoltaic solar panel for 5 electric light system, kitchenette and toilet sink and shower and waterless toilet from R2000 per m2

A 5 person crew can build a shell in 5 days and turnkey in about 10 days, or approximately 30 per year and with 10 crews operating this would provide 300 “units” per year, which would be a sustainable and profitable while impacting the housing situation.

Our proposed housing system meets or exceeds NBR/NHBRC Technical Requirements, has a high speed erection and can provide lockable space for materials on the first day of construction and can be fully completed within a few days. Our structure meets with the design criteria by providing combinations of 22 and 11 m2, has the minimum requirements with separate shower, bath, and toilet and sink unit. The 66 m2 unit will have additional third bedroom. All our products are locally manufactured and produced in South Africa.

For additional information please contact Joseph Feigelson at n’Kozi Homes at 021 552-7660 or 082 820-9646 And/or visit www.nkozihomes.co.za

Joseph Feigelson - Director n’Kozi Developments (Pty) Ltd

Nutrition

“Wanted - A live vegetable that will grow in any climate, rival meat in nutritional value (and tomatoes in Vitamin C), matures in 3 to 5 days, requires neither soil nor sunshine, has no waste and can be eaten raw” Dr.Clive McCay of Cornell University composed this perplexing ad.

It is really only in the past thirty years that "westerners" have become interested in sprouts and sprouting. During World War II considerable interest in sprouts was sparked in the United States by an article written by Dr. Clive M. McKay, Professor of Nutrition at Cornell University. Dr. McKay led off with this dramatic announcement: "Wanted! A vegetable that will grow in any climate, will rival meat in nutritive value, will mature in 3 to 5 days, may be planted any day of the year, will require neither soil nor sunshine, will rival tomatoes in Vitamin C, will be free of waste in preparation and can be cooked with little fuel and as quickly as a ... chop."

Dr. McKay was talking about soybean sprouts. He and a team of nutritionists had spent years researching the amazing properties of sprouted soybeans. They and other researchers at the universities of Pennsylvania and Minnesota, Yale and McGill have found that sprouts retain the B-complex vitamins present in the original seed, and show a big jump in Vitamin A and an almost unbelievable amount of Vitamin C over that present in unsprouted seeds. The figures are impressive: an average 300 percent increase in Vitamin A and a 500 to 600 percent increase in Vitamin C. In addition, in the sprouting process starches are converted to simple sugars, thus making sprouts easily digested.

Extensive research proved beyond a doubt that sprouts are the food of the future. The Chinese nobles, 5000 years ago were consuming sprouts for healing and rejuvenation.

During WW11 when the United States was concerned about a possible meat shortage, the scientific community advised the government that the consumption of germinated seeds (sprouts) was the best and the cheapest alternative to proteins in meat. According to medical experts and nutritional researchers, sprouts come as close to being a "perfect food" as anything available. The nutritional content of sprouts is many times greater than the original food value of the seeds and beans from which they sprout. •Pound for pound, a salad made from a variety of sprouts, compared with the traditional lettuce salad, would cost less than half as much yet provide five times as much protein, six times as much Vitamin C and seven times as much of the B Complex Vitamins. Whole dried peas have no Vitamin C, yet when sprouted for 48 hours, provide more Vitamin C (ounce per ounce) than fresh oranges. Sprouts save food preparation time since they require no cleaning, peeling or chopping, and can be cooked (if desired) in a mere fraction of the time required for most foods. Sprouts have the highest concentration of nutrition per calorie of any food. • Broccoli sprouts carry potent anti-cancer agents.

Sprouts are actually freshly germinated edible seeds such as beans, grains and nuts. • As a 'living' food, Sprouts continue to grow vitamins after being harvested. • Captain James Cook had his sailors eat sprouts, limes and lemons for their Vitamin C content to aid in curing scurvy. • Sprouts contain an abundance of highly active anti-oxidants that prevent DNA destruction and protect us from the ongoing effects of aging. • The most powerful enzyme-rich foods are sprouted seeds, grains and legumes. Sprouting increases their enzyme content as much as 43 times more than non-sprouted foods. The enzymes in Sprouts help our body digest the nutrients in our food and boost the life-giving activity in our body. Although the use of sprouts as a food source for man is as old as mans' use of seeds, it is only in recent times that science has begun to unravel the chemistry of a sprouting seed, and its potential significance in both human and animal nutrition. Although a dry seed is characterized by a remarkably low metabolic rate, just moistening of the seed can trigger tremendous and complex changes which consist of three main types: the breakdown of certain materials in the seed (i.e., breakdown of complex fats, starch conversion into simple sugars, breakdown of protein into amino acids), the transport of materials from one part of the seed to another, and the synthesis of new materials from the breakdown products formed. The only substances normally taken up by the germinating seeds are water and oxygen. Sprouts are known for their high enzyme activity never to be surpassed at later stages of maturity. The importance of enzymes in ones diet has been emphasized by a number of researchers. According to Tom Spies, M.D. (reported by Garfield G. Duncan in Diseases of Metabolism), "the respiration and growth of cells involve the synthesis of complex substances from simpler chemical compounds, By means of substances called enzymes, the cells are able to perform these functions without increased temperature and pressure. Enzymes are catalysts produced by living cells from combinations of organic substances, including the vitamins. These enzymes retain activity even when separated from the living cell." Sprouts are rich sources of vitamins, minerals, trace minerals, enzymes, antioxidants, chlorophyll and protein. They are low calorie and contain little or no fat. The fat they do contain is the healthy fat that your body needs. As some of the most nutritious foods that exist, they are great in salads, on sandwiches, added to soups, stir fried with vegetables or oven roasted. Enjoy these nutrient-packed delicacies as a snack all by themselves or added as a garnish to a main dish. Eat them raw or cooked. Of course, as with all food, the nutritional value is greater when they are eaten raw, but eating them cooked is better than not eating them at all.

Sprouting magnifies the nutritional value of the seed. It boosts the B-vitamin content, triples the amount of vitamin A and increases vitamin C by a factor of 5 to 6 times. Starches are converted to simple sugars, making sprouts very easily digestible. You can have them fresh all year round, even when fresh vegetables are hard to find. It's easier than planting a garden outside and they're ready much quicker. You can even grow them when the ground outside is frozen solid. And the best part is that you can grow the freshest, tastiest sprouts right in the comfort of your own kitchen. It takes less than 2 minutes a day and they are ready in 3 to 7 days, depending on the variety.

You can sprout seeds, beans, grains and nuts. Some of the most popular varieties are alfalfa, broccoli, Mung beans, lentils, soy, garbanzo beans and peas.

Alfalfa sprouts are what people typically think of when you mention sprouts. They are the ones you commonly see at a salad bar. Rich in phytochemicals, they protect against cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis and fibrocystic breast disease. They stimulate natural killer cell activity, which strengthens the immune system. What's more, they are beneficial in reducing symptoms of PMS and menopause, including hot flashes. Furthermore, they contain high concentrations of antioxidants, the body's defense against the destruction of DNA which is the cause of aging. Alfalfa sprouts are abundant sources of vitamins A, B, C, E and K, the minerals calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and zinc. Also carotene, chlorophyll, amino acids and trace elements. They contain 35% protein. (We cannot afford to ignore this fact!) One pound of alfalfa seed produces 10-14 pounds of sprouts. Alfalfa is one of the most complete and rich of all foods. In addition to its high content of vitamins and minerals, it is also high in proteins. Furthermore, it also contains every essential amino acid. Its detoxification surpasses most of other food tested. Higher resistance to disease and prevention of exhaustion were also reported in tests. Another study showed that Alfalfa contains eight essential enzymes that are important for food digestion. Being more technical, Alfalfa contains vitamin A, D, E, K, U, C, B1, B2, B6, B12, Niacin, Panthothanic acid, Inocitole, Biotin, and Folic acid. In the mineral range, it contains Phosphorus, Calcium, Potassium, Sodium, Chlorine, Sulfur, Magnesium, Copper, Manganese, Iron, Cobalt, Boron, and Molybdenum. It also contains fiber, Proteins, and trace elements such as Nickel, Lead, Strontium and Palladium. Therefore, it can be safely assumed that with few daily cups of combined Mung Beans and Alfalfa, as a supplement to your food; can make a world of difference. While fresh fruits and vegetables provide enzymes, sprouts are far more concentrated and should be eaten in the summer with every large meal even when you have your own vegetables and fruits. In the winter and spring, when your own vegetable and fruits are not available, sprouts are doubly important. Sprouts should become an integral part of your diet year-round.

But you need to make your own sprouts for highest food value. Sprouts are living food. They need to be fresh. Freshly picked from your own sprout garden, they contain the highest level of enzymes and vitamins. If they are immediately refrigerated, the "life force" will stay in the seed as they remain fresh and slowly continue to grow.

”What's amazing is that so much high quality fresh food can be grown so fast in so little space. In addition to bountiful harvests any day of the year, there's personal satisfaction in being able to do something about the quality and cost of food” says Joseph Feigelson, eco-preneur and inventor of Kitchen Garden, a micro indoor hydroponic home food production system. With the launch of Kitchen Garden in 2003, Kitchen Garden became the purveyor of the largest variety of seeds for human consumption in Africa and Europe.

"Sprouts become sources of complete protein, able to sustain human life without recourse to other foods. They contain the most assimilable vitamins available because they come wrapped with all the minerals, enzymes and still-unknown factors so necessary to the full utilization of our food. When they are added to other foods, they make the nutrients in these foods more useable to the body." All physical life energy begins with the sun. Solar energy is what plants use for photosynthesis. This light/chemical process is what creates the life power of enzymes that all animal life on earth depends on. This is why seed sprouts, raw salads, and raw fruit and vegetable juices are an essential element for health Now that we know what sprouts are and how easy and economical it is to grow your very own, there is no viable reason why malnutrition is so widespread. Armed with knowledge, education, seeds and water, malnutrition, hunger and starvation could soon be relegated to the history books.

For more information please visit www.kitchengarden.co.za Or contact Joseph Feigelson at Kitchen Garden on 082 820-9646

As demonstrated, these two projects namely n’Kozi Homes and Kitchen Garden represent partial solutions to the problem of poverty through employment and entrepreneurial opportunities. The major solution affecting the alleviation of poverty lies within the introduction of a cash crop for subsistence and emerging farmers especially in rural areas and this crop is Hemp also known as Cannabis sativa.

Now in order to understand hemp, what it is and what it can do, one needs to understand the history thereof so that we can view it within the perspective that we have in our lifetime.

Hemp

Because one acre of hemp produces as much cellulose fiber pulp as 4.1 acres of trees,* hemp is the perfect material to replace trees for pressed board, particle board, and for concrete construction molds.

• Dewey & Merrill, Bulletin #404, United States Dept. of Agriculture, 1916.

Hemp is the longest, strongest fiber known to man except for spider web.

HEMP- A SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL BUILDING MATERIAL

Practical, inexpensive fire-resistant construction material, with excellent thermal and sound-insulating qualities, is made by heating and compressing plant fibers to create strong construction paneling, replacing dry wall and plywood.

How it Began

Like all good stories this one has a near death experience and a Pauline conversion: France Périer was a conventional chemist until she developed skin cancer and began searching for a cure. Hemp oil proved to be especially effective and thereafter she dedicated her life to researching the wondrous properties of the healing herb that had kept her in the game. Along the way she came upon a bridge which dated from the Metrovingian period (that's the Romans, in case you're wondering). This led to investigations into the uses of hemp in construction, and from there the new product, Isochanvre, was created using a secret and carefully guarded formula which the good lady refuses to divulge. Isochanvre, a rediscovered French building material made from hemp hurds mixed with lime, actually petrifies into a mineral state and lasts for many centuries. Archeologists have found a bridge in the south of France, from the Merovingian period (500-751 C.E.), built with this process.

Isochanvre is flame-proof, non-toxic, 1/9 the weight of cement, retains heat in winter, is cool in the summer and is unpalatable to rats, insects, or termites. Because of its flexibility and strength it is the ideal material for building in areas susceptible to earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes; and over time the plant elements bind with the minerals to make the building stronger and more valuable as it ages. Small wonder, then, that advocates extol it as the nearest we will get to perfection: a totally sustainable, non-toxic alternative to bricks and concrete capable of producing the kind of energy efficient, environmentally friendly buildings which most governments insist they want to see built as a matter of course. Getting Stoned

The process of turning hemp into houses is not at all complex. Isochanvre uses natural lime and water as binding agents to create a creamy mix which can be poured directly onto the ground or into wooden frames. The mixture sets in a matter of hours and replaces all of the materials currently used in construction: bricks and cement, plaster board, and insulation. Although the process results in 'petrification' (turning to stone) Isochanvre retains some of the qualities of plant matter: the resulting material is a light brown colour with a texture reminiscent of cork. It provides both sonic and thermal insulation and can be produced with a rough or smooth finish and decorated in the usual way with whitewash, paint or wallpaper.

The first house built using the material was finished in 1989 and won France Périer a prize for innovation. Ten years on it's as solid as ever and contracts have been won for the creation of public housing in France as well as for commercial buildings and housing elsewhere in Europe. The material is also used in the renovation of old buildings - it can be trowelled on like plaster or set in casts

ADVANTAGES

• It is environmentally safe with no toxic by-products. It uses no chemical products during construction and is a one hundred per cent "eco-product."

• It is non-flammable and can resist temperatures up to 1800-2000 c hence it produces no toxic smoke.

• It is a breathing material, which means there is no build up of condensation within the building. This ability to breathe, lends itself to a higher occupancy health level.

• It is fungicidal, antibacterial and water resistant which eliminates damp within the building. Hence no damp proofing is needed.

• It is inedible by rats, mice and other rodents.

• It is an excellent insulator and builds a warm structure. It has a high thermal capacity in that it stores heat and releases it quickly. This reduces heating costs and helps keep the building warmer in the wintertime and cooler in the summer.

• It is a good acoustic insulator, easy to use, strong and light. Physical labour is also reduced.

• It eliminates the need for a number of different products and indeed a number of different tradesmen.

• Its non toxic in use, renewable, non polluting during total life cycle, has low embodied energy, good thermal values and resists decay and infestation.

To understand where we can go with this, it is important to understand how we got here in the first place!!

You will have to understand: The History of the Non-Medical Use of Drugs in the United States.

The following is information is from: A Speech to the California Judges Association 1995 annual conference by Charles Whitebread, Professor of Law, USC Law School derived from The Forbidden Fruit and the Tree of Knowledge: An Inquiry into the Legal History of American Marijuana Prohibition by Professor Richard J. Bonnie & Professor Charles H. Whitebread, II

The Situation in 1900

In 1900 there were far more people addicted to drugs in the USA than there are today. There were between two and five percent of the entire adult population of the United States addicted to drugs in 1900. There were two principal causes of this dramatic level of drug addiction at the turn of the century. • The first cause was the use of morphine and its various derivatives in legitimate medical operations. • The second cause of the high level of addiction at the turn of the century -- the growth and development of what we now call the "patent medicine" industry. What the purveyors of these medicines did not tell their purchasers, was that later, when these patent medicines were tested, many of them proved to be up to fifty percent morphine by volume. So there was this tendency to think "Wow! This stuff works." Down you could go to the general store and get more of it and it could be sold to you directly over the counter. Patent medicines were much more appealing to women than to men and account for the much higher incidence of drug addiction in 1900 among women than among men. There was a lot more addiction in 1900 than there is today and that the people who were addicted are quite a different group than the group we would be thinking of today. If you look at drug addiction in 1900, what's the number one way in which it is different than drug addiction today? Answer: Almost all addiction at the turn of the century was accidental.

The Pure Food and Drug Act

Then the single law which has done the most in the USA to reduce the level of drug addiction is none of the criminal laws they have ever passed. The single law that reduced drug addiction the most was the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act.

The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 did three things: 1). It created the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in Washington that must approve all foods and drugs meant for human consumption. The very first impact of that was that the patent medicines were not approved for human consumption once they were tested. 2) The Pure Food and Drug Act said that certain drugs could only be sold on prescription. 3) The Pure Food and Drug Act, requires that any drug that can be potentially habit-forming say so on it's label. "Warning -- May be habit forming."

The Harrison Act

The very first criminal law at the Federal level in the USA to criminalize the non-medical use of drugs came in 1914. It was called the Harrison Act and there are only three things about the Harrison Act that we need to focus on today. Number one is the date. Did you hear the date, 1914? Some of you may be thinking that the criminal law was used to deal with the non-medical use of drugs since the beginning of the Republic or something. That is not true. The entire experiment of using the criminal sanction to deal with the non-medical use of drugs really began in 1914 with the Harrison Act. The second interesting thing about the Harrison Act was the drugs to which it applied, because it applied to almost none of the drugs we would be concerned about today. The Harrison Act applied to only opium, morphine and its various derivatives, and the derivatives of the coca leaf like cocaine. No mention anywhere there of amphetamines, barbiturates, marijuana, hashish, hallucinogenic drugs of any kind. The third and most interesting thing, for you all as “new thinkers,” about the Harrison Act was its structure, because the structure of this law was very peculiar and became the model for every single piece of Federal legislation from 1914 right straight through 1969. And what was that model? It was called the Harrison Tax Act. You know, the drafters of the Harrison Act said very clearly on the floor of Congress what it was they wanted to achieve. They had two goals. They wanted to regulate the medical use of these drugs and they wanted to criminalize the non-medical use of these drugs. They had one problem. Look at the date -- 1914 was probably the high water mark of the constitutional doctrine we today call "states' rights" and, therefore, it was widely thought Congress did not have the power, number one, to regulate a particular profession and number two, that Congress did not have the power to pass what was, and is still known, as a general criminal law. That's why there were so few Federal Crimes until very recently In the face of possible Constitutional opposition to what they wanted to do, the people in Congress who supported the Harrison Act came up with a novel idea. That is, they would masquerade this whole thing as though it were a tax. To show you how it worked, I can use some hypothetical figures to show you how this alleged tax worked? There were two taxes. The first (and again, these figures aren't accurate but they will do to show the idea) tax was paid by doctors. It was a dollar a year and the doctors, in exchange for paying that one dollar tax, got a stamp from the Government that allowed them to prescribe these drugs for their patients so long as they followed the regulations in the statute. Do you see that by the payment of that one dollar tax, they had the doctors regulated? The doctors had to follow the regulations in the statute. And there was a second tax. (and again, these are hypothetical figures but they will show you how it worked.) was a tax of a thousand dollars of every single non-medical exchange of every one of these drugs. Well, since nobody was going to pay a thousand dollars in tax to exchange something which, in 1914, even in large quantities was worth about five dollars, the second tax wasn't a tax either, it was a criminal prohibition. Now just to be sure you readers understand this, and I am sure you do, but just to make sure, let's say that in 1915 somebody was found, let's say, in possession of an ounce of cocaine out here on the street. What would be the Federal crime? Not possession of cocaine, or possession of a controlled substance. What was the crime? Tax evasion. And do you see what a wicked web that is going to be? As a quick preview, where then are we going to put the law enforcement arm for the criminalization of drugs for over forty years -- in what department? The Treasury Department. Why, they are just out there collecting taxes and I will show you how that works in a minute.

If you understand that taxing scheme then you understand why the national marijuana prohibition of 1937 was called the Marihuana Tax Act.

The Early State Marijuana Laws

But before we get to the marihuana prohibition of 1937, we need to look into an analysis of the early state marijuana laws passed in the USA from 1915 to 1937. The first group of states to have marijuana laws in that part of the century were Rocky Mountain and southwestern states. By that, I mean Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Montana. In the period just after 1914, into all of those areas was a substantial migration of Mexicans. They had come across the border in search of better economic conditions, they worked heavily as rural laborers, beet field workers, cotton pickers, things of that sort. And with them, they had brought marijuana. What motivated the marijuana laws in the Rocky mountain and southwestern states? A proponent of Texas first marijuana law. He said on the floor of the Texas Senate, and I quote, "All Mexicans are crazy, and this stuff (referring to marijuana) is what makes them crazy. “ The proponent of Montana's first marijuana law said, (and imagine this on the floor of the state legislature) and I quote, "Give one of these Mexican beet field workers a couple of puffs on a marijuana cigarette and he thinks he is in the bullring at Barcelona." Well, there it was, you didn't have to look another foot as you went from state to state right on the floor of the state legislature. And so what was the genesis for the early state marijuana laws in the Rocky Mountain and southwestern areas of the USA? It wasn't hostility to the drug; it was hostility to the newly arrived Mexican community that used it. A second group of states that had criminal laws against the use of marijuana were in the Northeast, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York - had one and then repealed it and then had one again, and New Jersey. The Northeast has never had, still doesn't really, any substantial Mexican-American population.

Fear of substitution

The New York Times in an editorial in 1919 said, "No one here in New York uses this drug marijuana. We have only just heard about it from down in the Southwest," and here comes the substitution. "But," said the New York Times, "we had better prohibit its use before it gets here. Otherwise" -- here's the substitution concept -- "all the heroin and hard narcotics addicts cut off from their drug by the Harrison Act and all the alcohol drinkers cut off from their drug by 1919 alcohol Prohibition will substitute this new and unknown drug marijuana for the drugs they used to use." This fear of substitution carried, and that accounted for 26 of the 27 states -- that is, either the anti-Mexican sentiment in the Southwest and Rocky Mountain areas or fear of substitution in the Northeast. That accounted for 26 of the 27 states, and there was only one state left over. It was the first state ever to enact a criminal law against the use of marijuana and it was the state of Utah. Now, if you have been hearing this story and you have been playing along with me, you think "Oh, wait a minute,, Utah fits exactly with Colorado, Montana, -- it must have been the Mexicans." Utah didn't have then, and doesn't have now, a really substantial Mexican-American population. So it had to be something else.

Come on folks, if it had to be something else, what do you think it might have been? Are you thinking what I was thinking -- that it must have had something to do with the single thing which makes Utah unique in American history -- its association with the Mormon church. Yes, it was directly connected to the history of Utah and Mormonism and it went like this. Stay tuned here, this gets really interesting!!!!! Do you all know that in 1876, the United States Supreme Court said that Mormons were free to believe what they wanted, but they were not free to practice polygamy in the USA Well, who do you think enforced that ruling of the Supreme Court in 1876?

At the end of the line, who enforces all rulings of the Supreme Court? Answer: the state and local police.

And who were they in Utah then? All Mormons, and so nothing happened for many years. Those who wanted to live polygamously continued to do so. In 1910, the Mormon Church in synod in Salt Lake City decreed polygamy to be a religious mistake and it was banned as a matter of the Mormon religion. Once that happened, there was a crackdown on people who wanted to live in what they called "the traditional way". So, just after 1910, a fairly large number of Mormons left the state of Utah, and indeed left the United States altogether and moved into northwest Mexico. They wrote a lot about what they wanted to accomplish in Mexico. They wanted to set up communities where they were basically going to convert the Indians, the Mexicans, and what they referred to as "the heathen" in the neighborhood to Mormonism. By 1914, they had had very little luck with the heathen, the heathen had a little luck with them. What happened? -- now some of you who may be members of the church know that there are still substantial Mormon communities in northwest Mexico -- most of the Mormons were not happy there, the religion had not done well there, they didn't feel comfortable there, they wanted to go back to Utah where their friends were and after 1914 did. And with them, the Indians had given them marijuana. You know that the Mormon Church has always been opposed to the use of euphoriants of any kind. So, somebody saw them with the marijuana, and in August of 1915 the Church, meeting again in synod in Salt Lake City decreed the use of marijuana contrary to the Mormon religion and then -- in October of 1915, the state legislature met and enacted every religious prohibition as a criminal law and we had the first criminal law in history against the use of marijuana.

In the 1920's and '30s the American public became increasingly concerned about drug addiction-----especially to Morphine and a "miracle drug" that had been introduced by the Bayer Company in 1898 under the brand name "Heroin." By the mid-1920's, there were 20,000 heroin addicts in the U.S. alone.

Most Americans were unaware that smoking hemp was intoxicating; however, until William Randolph Hearst launched a campaign of sensational stories that linked "the killer weed" to everything from Jazz to "Crazed minorities," and even unspeakable crimes. Hearst's papers featured headlines like: MARIJUANA MAKES FIENDS OF BOYS IN 30 DAYS: HASHISH GOADS USERS TO BLOOD LUST and NEW DOPE LURE, MARIJUANA, HAS MANY VICTIMS

In 1930 Hearst was joined in his crusade against hemp by Harry J. Anslinger, commissioner of the newly organized Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN). Hearst often quoted Anslinger in his newspaper stories, printing sensational comments like: "If the hideous monster Frankenstein came face to face with the monster marijuana he would drop dead of fright."

In 1937, after two years of secret hearings and based largely on Anslinger's testimony, Congress passed the Marijuana Tax Act, which essentially outlawed marijuana in America.

Hemp growers had to register with the government; sellers and buyers had to fill out cumbersome paperwork; and, of course, it was a federal crime not to comply.

The Marijuana Tax Act effectively destroyed all legitimate commercial cultivation of hemp. With most of their markets gone, farmers stopped growing hemp, and the legitimate industry disappeared. Ironically, though, hemp continued to grow wild all over the USA, and its "illegitimate" use was little affected by Congress.

The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937

Whenever Congress is going to pass a law, they hold hearings. The hearings can be extremely voluminous, they go on and on, they have days and days of hearings. The hearings on the national marijuana prohibition lasted one hour, on each of two mornings and since the hearings were so brief I can tell you almost exactly what was said to support the national marijuana prohibition. When Professor Whitebread asked at the Library of Congress for a copy of the hearings, to the shock of the Library of Congress, none could be found It took them four months to finally honor their request because – are you ready for this? -- the hearings were so brief that the volume had slid down inside the side shelf of the bookcase and was so thin it had slid right down to the bottom inside the bookshelf. That's how brief they were. Are you ready for this? They had to break the bookshelf open because it had slid down inside. There were three bodies of testimony at the hearings on the national marijuana prohibition. The first testimony came from Commissioner Harry Anslinger, the newly named Commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics. In the late 20s and early 30s in the USA there were two Federal police agencies created, the FBI and the FBN -- the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Federal Bureau of Narcotics.

Commissioner Anslinger gave the Government testimony and I will quote him directly. He was working from a text that had been written for him by a District Attorney in New Orleans, a guy named Stanley. Reading directly from Mr. Stanley's work, Commissioner Anslinger told the Congressmen at the hearings, and I quote, "Marihuana is an addictive drug which produces in its users insanity, criminality, and death." That was the entire Government testimony to support the marijuana prohibition from the Commissioner. The next body of testimony -- remember all of this took a total of two hours .. You understand what the idea was, don't you? The idea was to prohibit the cultivation of hemp in America. You all know, because there has been some initiative in California, that hemp has other uses than its euphoriant use. For one, hemp has always been used to make rope. Number two, the resins of the hemp plant are used as bases for paints and varnishes. And, finally, the seeds of the hemp plant are widely used in bird seed. Since these industries were going to be affected the next body of testimony came from the industrial spokesmen who represented these industries. The first person was the rope guy and he said by about 1820 it got cheaper to import the hemp needed to make rope from the Far East and so now in 1937 we don't grow any more hemp to make rope in this country -- it isn't needed anymore. It explains the long-standing rumor that the founding forefathers had something to do with marijuana. Yes, they did -- they grew it. Hemp was the principal crop at Mount Vernon, George Washington’s home. It was a secondary crop at Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s home.

Five years later, 1942, USA is cut off from their sources of hemp in the Far East. They need a lot of hemp to outfit their ships for World War II, rope for the ships, and therefore, the Federal Government went into the business of growing hemp on gigantic farms throughout the Midwest and the South to make rope to outfit the ships for World War II.

The paint and varnish people said "We can use something else." And, of the industrial spokesmen, only the birdseed people balked. The birdseed people were the ones who balked and the birdseed person was asked, "Couldn't you use some other seed? “

These are all direct quotes from the hearings. The answer the birdseed guy gave was, "No, Congressman, we couldn't. We have never found another seed that makes a birds coat so lustrous or makes them sing so much."

The birdseed people both got and kept an exemption from the Marihuana Tax Act right through this very day for so-called "denatured seeds"? There was only one body of testimony left at these brief hearings and it was medical. There were two pieces of medical evidence introduced with regard to the marijuana prohibition.

The first came from a pharmacologist at Temple University who claimed that he had injected the active ingredient in marihuana into the brains of 300 dogs, and two of those dogs had died.

When asked by the Congressmen, and I quote, "Doctor, did you choose dogs for the similarity of their reactions to that of humans?"

The answer of the pharmacologist was, "I wouldn't know, I am not a dog psychologist." The active ingredient in marijuana was first synthesized in a laboratory in Holland after World War II. So what it was this pharmacologist injected into these dogs we will never know, but it almost certainly was not the active ingredient in marijuana. The other piece of medical testimony came from a man named Dr. William C. Woodward. Dr. Woodward was both a lawyer and a doctor and he was Chief Counsel to the American Medical Association. Dr. Woodward came to testify at the behest of the American Medical Association saying, and I quote, "The American Medical Association knows of no evidence that marihuana is a dangerous drug." One of the Congressmen said, "Doctor, if you can't say something good about what we are trying to do, why don't you go home?" That's an exact quote. The next Congressman said, "Doctor, if you haven't got something better to say than that, we are sick of hearing you." Now, the interesting question for us is not about the medical evidence.

The most fascinating question is:

Why was this legal counsel to the most prestigious group of doctors in the United States treated in such a high-handed way? In 1936, President Franklin Roosevelt was re-elected in the largest landslide election in the country's history till then.

He brought with him two Democrats for every Republican, all, or almost all of them pledged to that package of economic and social reform legislation we today call the New Deal.

The American Medical Association, from 1932, straight through 1937, had systematically opposed every single piece of New Deal legislation. So that, by 1937, this committee, heavily made up of New Deal Democrats is simply sick of hearing them: "Doctor, if you can't say something good about what we are trying to do, why don't you go home?" So, over the objection of the American Medical Association, the bill passed out of committee and on to the floor of Congress.

Now, some of you may think that the debate on the floor of Congress was more extensive on the marijuana prohibition.

It wasn't. It lasted one minute and thirty-two seconds and, as such, I will give it to you verbatim. The bill was brought on to the floor of the House of Representatives -- there never was any Senate debate on it not one word -- 5:45 Friday afternoon, August 20, 1937. Now, in pre-air-conditioning Washington, who was on the floor of the House? Who was on the floor of the House? Not very many people Speaker Sam Rayburn called for the bill to be passed on "tellers". Does everyone know "tellers"? Did you know that for the vast bulk of legislation in the USA, there is not a recorded vote. It is simply, more people walk past this point than walk past that point and it passes -- it's called "tellers". They were getting ready to pass this thing on tellers without discussion and without a recorded vote when one of the few Republicans left in Congress, a guy from upstate New York, stood up and asked two questions, which constituted the entire debate on the national marijuana prohibition. "Mr. Speaker, what is this bill about?" To which Speaker Rayburn replied, "I don't know. It has something to do with a thing called marihuana. I think it's a narcotic of some kind." Undaunted, the guy from Upstate New York asked a second question, which was as important to the Republicans as it was unimportant to the Democrats. "Mr. Speaker, does the American Medical Association support this bill?" A member of the committee who had supported the bill leaped to his feet and he said, "Their Doctor Wentworth came down here. They support this bill 100 percent.” It wasn't true, but it was good enough for the Republicans. They sat down and the bill passed on tellers, without a recorded vote.

In the Senate there never was any debate or a recorded vote, and the bill went to President Roosevelt's desk and he signed it and they had the national marijuana prohibition.

Was a viable hemp industry forced out of existence because it was a threat to people's health or because it was a threat to a few large businesses that would profit from banning it?

Here are some facts; hemp was outlawed just as a new technology would have made hemp paper far cheaper than wood-pulp paper. Enthusiastic about the new technology, Popular Mechanics predicted that hemp would become America's first "billion dollar crop." The magazine pointed out that "10,000 acres devoted to hemp will produce as much paper as 40,000 acres of average [forest] pulp land." Hearst, one of the promoters of the anti-hemp hysteria, had a vested interest in protecting the pulp industry. Hearst owned enormous timber acreage; competition from hemp paper might have driven the Hearst paper-manufacturing division out of business and cause the value of his acreage to plummet. Hearst was even responsible for popularizing the term "marijuana" in American culture. In fact, popularizing the word was a key strategy of Hearst's efforts: "The first step in creating hysteria was to introduce the element of fear of the unknown by using a word that no one had ever heard of before...'marijuana.'" It associated the plant with Mexicans and played on racist fears, and it misled the public into thinking that marijuana and hemp were different plants.

The DuPont Company also had an interest in the pulp industry. At this time, it was in the process of patenting a new sulfuric acid process for producing wood-pulp paper. According to the company's own records, wood-pulp products ultimately accounted for more than 80% of all of DuPont's railroad car loadings for the next 50 years. DuPont realized after the end of World War I that developing peacetime uses for artificial fibers and plastics would be more profitable in the long run. So it began pouring millions of dollars into research, -Two years before the prohibitive hemp tax, DuPont developed a new synthetic fiber, nylon, which was an ideal substitute for hemp rope.

-The year after the hemp tax, DuPont was able to bring another "miracle" synthetic fabric onto the market, rayon. Rayon, which became widely used for clothing, was a direct competitor to hemp cloth.

-"Congress and the Treasury Department were assured, through secret testimony given by DuPont, that Hemp-seed oil could be replaced with synthetic petrochemical oils made principally by DuPont." These oils were used in paints and other products

Five years after the hemp tax was imposed, when Japanese seizure of Philippine hemp caused a wartime shortage of rope, the government reversed itself. Overnight, the U.S. government urged hemp cultivation once again and created a stirring movie called "Hemp for Victory" then, just as quickly, it recriminalized hemp after the shortage had passed. While U.S. hemp was temporarily legal, however, it saved the life of a young pilot named George Bush, who was forced to bail out of his burning airplane after a battle over the Pacific.

At the time he didn't know that:

-Parts of his aircraft engine were lubricated with hemp-seed oil.

-100% of his life-saving parachute webbing was made from U.S. grown hemp.

-Virtually all of the rigging and lines of the ship that rescued him were made of hemp.

-The flight-suit on his back was a rubberized hemp-cloth.

-The fire hoses on the ship were woven from hemp Ironically, President Bush consistently opposed decriminalizing hemp grown in the United States..

1938 to 1951 In this next step there are three stories to tell you about 1938 to 1951.

The first of them: Immediately after the passage of the national marijuana prohibition, Commissioner Anslinger decided to hold a conference of all the people who knew something about marijuana -- a big national conference. He invited forty-two people to this conference. The first morning of the conference of the forty-two people that Commissioner Anslinger invited to talk about marijuana, 39 of them got up and said some version of "Gee, Commissioner Anslinger, I don't know why you asked me to this conference, I don't know anything about marijuana."

That left three people. Dr. Woodward and his assistant -- you know what they thought. That left one person -- the pharmacologist from Temple University -- the guy with the dogs. And what do you think happened as a result of that conference? Commissioner Anslinger named the pharmacologist from Temple University the Official Expert of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics about marijuana, a position the guy held until 1962. Now, the irony of trying to find out what the drug did after it had been prohibited, also finding out that only one person agrees with you -- and naming him the Official Expert, speaks for itself. After national marijuana prohibition was passed, Commissioner Anslinger found out, or got reports, that certain people were violating the national marijuana prohibition and using marijuana and, unfortunately for them, they fell into an identifiable occupational group.

Who were flouting the marijuana prohibition? Jazz musicians.

And so, in 1947, Commissioner Anslinger sent out a letter, I quote it verbatim, "Dear Agent So-and-so, Please prepare all cases in your jurisdiction involving musicians in violation of the marijuana laws. We will have a great national round-up arrest of all such persons on a single day. I will let you know what day."

"Dear Commissioner Anslinger, I have your letter of October 24. Please be advised that the musical communities here in Hollywood are unionized and very tight we have been unable to get an informant inside it. So, at the present time, we have no cases involving musicians in violation of the marihuana laws." For the next year and a half, Commissioner Anslinger got those kinds of letters. He never acknowledged any of the problems that the agents said they were having with this idea and always wrote them back the same letter. "Dear Agent so-and-so, Glad to hear you are working hard to give effect to my directive of October 24, 1947. We will (and he always underlined the word 'will') have a great national round-up arrest of musicians in violation of the marijuana laws all on a single day. Don't worry; I will let you know what day." This went on -- and, of course, you know that some jazz musicians were, in fact, arrested in the late 40's (Gene Krupa, Louis Armstrong et al.)-- this all went on until it ended just the way it began -- with something that Anslinger said. Commissioner Anslinger was testifying before a Senate Committee in 1948. He was saying, "I need more agents." And, of course, the Senators asked him why. "Because there are people out there violating the marijuana laws."

Well, you know what the Senators asked -- "Who?"

Anslinger first said, "Musicians." But then he looked up at that Senate committee and he gave them a little piece of his heart and said the single line which provoked the most response in the country's history about the non-medical use of drugs. Anslinger said, "And I don't mean good musicians, I mean jazz musicians."

The final story from this period: In the late 30's and early 40's marihuana was routinely referred to as "the killer drug", "the assassin of youth". You all know "reefer madness", right? Where did these extraordinary stories that circulated in this country about what marijuana would do to its users come from?

The terrific reputation that marijuana got in the late 30s and early 40s stemmed from something Anslinger had said. Does everybody remember what Anslinger said about the drug? "Marihuana is an addictive drug which produces in its user’s insanity, criminality, and death."

Well, this time the magic word -- come along lawyers out there, where's the magic word? – Insanity! …Marihuana use, said the Government, would produce insanity.

And, sure enough, in the late 30s and early 40s, in five really flamboyant murder trials, the defendant's sole defense was that he -- or, in the most famous of them, she -- was not guilty by reason of insanity for having used marijuana prior to the commission of the crime. All right, it's time to take you guys back to class here. If you are going to put on an insanity defense, what do you need? You need two things, don't you? Number one, you need an Expert Witness. Where, oh where, in this story, are we going to find an expert witness? Here it comes -- sure enough -- the guy from Temple University -- the guy with the dogs. I promise you, you are not going to believe this. In the most famous of these trials, what happened was two women jumped on a Newark, New Jersey bus and shot and killed and robbed the bus driver. They put on the marijuana insanity defense. The defense called the pharmacologist, and of course, you know how to do this now, you put the expert on, you say "Doctor, did you do all of this experimentation and so on?" You qualify your expert. "Did you write all about it?" "Yes, and I did the dogs" and now he is an expert. Now you ask him what? You ask the doctor "What have you done with the drug?" And he said, and I quote, "I've experimented with the dogs, I have written something about it and" -- are you ready -- "I have used the drug myself."

What do you ask him next? "Doctor, when you used the drug, what happened?" With all the press present at this flamboyant murder trial in Newark New Jersey, in 1938, the pharmacologist said, and I quote, in response to the question "When you used the drug, what happened?", his exact response was: "After two puffs on a marijuana cigarette, I was turned into a bat." He wasn't done yet. He testified that he flew around the room for fifteen minutes and then found himself at the bottom of a two-hundred-foot high ink well Well, friends, that sells a lot of papers. What do you think the Newark Star Ledger headlines were the next day, October 12, 1938? "Killer Drug Turns Doctor to Bat!"

What else do we need to put on an insanity defense? We need the defendant's testimony -- himself or herself. OK, you put defendant on the stand, what do you ask? "What happened on the night of . ." "Oh, I used marijuana." "And then what happened?" And, if the defendant wants to get off, what is he or she going to say? "It made me crazy." You know what the women testified? In Newark they testified, and I quote, "After two puffs on a marijuana cigarette my incisor teeth grew six inches long and dripped with blood."

This was the craziest business you ever saw. Every one of these so-called marijuana insanity defenses were successful.

The one in New York was just outlandish. Two police officers were shot and killed in cold blood. The defendant puts on the marijuana insanity defense and, in that case, there was never even any testimony that the defendant had even used marijuana. The testimony in the New York case was that, from the time the bag of marijuana came into his room it gave off "homicidal vibrations", so he started killing dogs, cats, and ultimately two police officers. Commissioner Anslinger, sitting in Washington, seeing these marijuana insanity defenses, one after another successful, he writes to the pharmacologist from Temple University and says, "If you don't stop testifying for the defense in these matters, we are going to revoke your status as the Official Expert of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics." He didn't want to lose his status, so he stopped testifying, nobody else would testify that marijuana had turned them into a bat, and so these insanity defenses were over but not before marijuana had gotten quite a reputation, indeed.

The next step -- and now we are going to move very quickly here -- in 1951. We get a whole new drug law called the Boggs Act and it is important to us for only two reasons. Number one, it reflects what I am going to call the formula for drug legislation in the USA. Here is the formula. The formula really is always the same, think about it in our lifetime.

The formula is that someone, and by the way, that someone is usually the media, perceive an increase in drug use. What's the answer? The answer in the history of the USA is always the same -- a new criminal law with harsher penalties in every single offense category. The Boggs Act of 1951 quadrupled the penalties in every single offense category and, by the way, the Boggs Act had a whole new rationale for the marijuana prohibition. Do you remember the old rationale -- that marijuana was an addictive drug which caused in its users insanity, criminality, and death? Just before Anslinger was to testify on the Boggs Act, the doctor who ran for the Government and the Lexington, Kentucky narcotics rehabilitation clinic testified ahead of Anslinger and testified that the medical community knew that marijuana wasn't an addictive drug. “It doesn't produce death, or insanity, and instead of producing criminality, it produces passivity,” said the doctor. Who was the next witness? Anslinger. And, if you see, that the rug had been pulled out from under everything he had said in the 1937 hearings to support the marijuana prohibition.

Anslinger, you know, had been bitten bad enough by what he said, he didn't want that again -- he said, the doctor is right, marijuana -- he always believed, by the way, that there was something in marijuana which produced criminality -- is not an addictive drug, it doesn't produce insanity or death but it is "the certain first step on the road to heroin addiction."

And the notion that marijuana was the stepping stone to heroin became, in 1951, the sole rationale for the national marijuana prohibition. It was the first time that marijuana was lumped with all the other drugs and not treated separately, and we multiply the penalties in every offense category.

Well, now once you buy it, the ball is going to roll like crazy.

1956 and the Daniel Act

1956, we get another new drug law, called the Daniel Act, named for Senator Price Daniel of Texas. It is important to us for only two reasons. One, it perfectly reflects the formula again. What is the formula? Somebody perceives an increase in drug use in this country and the answer is always a new criminal law with harsher penalties in every offense category. Where did the perception in 1956 come from that there was an increase in drug use? Answer: In 1956 USA had the first set ever of televised Senate hearings. And whose hearings were they? They were the hearings of Senator Estes Kefauver of Tennessee about organized crime in America. These hearings, which everybody watched on their little sets showed two things. Number one, there is organized crime in America and number two, it makes all its money selling drugs. There it was, that was all the perception that was needed. They passed the Daniel Act which increased the penalties in every offense category, that had just been increased times four -- times eight. Just to show you where it was, in the same time period in Virginia: First degree murder had a mandatory minimum sentence of fifteen years. Rape, a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years. Possession of marijuana -- mandatory minimum of twenty years. Sales of marijuana - mandatory minimum of forty years

That is the situation in 1969 when the USA have a new drug law, the first one in the country's history that does not follow the formula. It is the 1969 Dangerous Substances Act. For he first time in the country’s history, they have a perception of an increase in drug use during the Sixties, but instead of raising the penalties, they lower them. And, further, in the Dangerous Substances Act of 1969, for the first time they finally abandon the so-called "taxing" mythology. In the 1969 Act, what the Federal law does is, it takes all the drugs we know -- if you can't fill in this next blank, you are in trouble -- except two -- which two? Which two are never going to be mentioned? Nicotine and alcohol. But, other than nicotine and alcohol -- every other drug. What the 1969 act did, and what most state laws still do, is to classify all drugs except nicotine and alcohol by two criteria. What is the drug's medical use? And, what is the drug's potential for abuse? They put all the drugs, by those two criteria, in schedules, and then they tie the penalties for possession, possession with intent to sell, sale, and sale to a minor to the schedule of the drug in question. The first schedule, Schedule One Drugs were drugs that had little or no medical use and a high potential for abuse. What's going to go in there? LSD, marijuana, hashish, they are all in Schedule One -- little or no medical use and a high potential for abuse. Once you schedule your drugs, you then tie the penalties for the drugs to the schedule and then, because in 1969 they wanted to reduce the marijuana penalties they had to deal with marijuana separately and did so. Well, then you know what happened. We get the War on Drugs. You know how it all went down. We got perceptions in the 80s that there was an increase in drug use, a great dramatic decision to declare war on drugs and, predominantly, war on drug users The War on Drugs, a very interesting war, because why? It was cheap to fight. It was cheap to fight at first -- why? Criminal forfeiture was used to make this a costless war. That is, easy forfeiture from those who were caught allowed them to pay for the war in that way.

Does the hemp conspiracy continue?

In March 1992, Robert Bonner, the chief of the Drug Enforcement Agency, effectively rejected a petition to permit doctors to prescribe marijuana for patients as medication for chronic pain. Bonner said: "Beyond doubt the claims that marijuana is medicine are false, dangerous and cruel." But, according to a federal administrative law judge, Francis Young, "The record clearly shows that marijuana has been accepted as capable of relieving the distress of great numbers of very ill people and doing so with safety under medical supervision." (The New York Times)

Conclusion - The Issue of Prohibition

To tell you the real truth, my interest isn't in drugs or in the criminalization of drugs although I think we should abolish the criminal penalties for drugs, and deal with it as the Europeans do in a medical way, but who cares? That's an opinion.

I am interested in a much larger issue, and that is the idea of Prohibition -- the use of criminal law to criminalize conduct that a large number of US seem to want to engage in.

How about the prohibition in England from 1840 to 1880 against the drinking of gin? Not drinking, just gin -- got it? The marijuana prohibition - because the story had never been told -- and it is an amazing story. Every single person who has ever written seriously about the national alcohol prohibition agrees on why it collapsed. Why? Because it violated that iron law of Prohibitions. What is the iron law of Prohibitions? Prohibitions are always enacted by US, to govern the conduct of THEM. Large numbers of people supported the idea of prohibition who were not themselves, opposed to drinking. Want to see it? Let me give you an example, 1919. You are a Republican in upstate New York. Whether you drink, or you don't, you are for the alcohol prohibition because it will close the licensed saloons in the City of New York which you view to be the corrupt patronage and power base of the Democratic Party in New York. So almost every Republican in New York was in favor of national alcohol prohibition. And, as soon as it passed, what do you think they said? "Well, what do you know? Success. Let's have a drink." That's what they thought, "let's have a drink." "Let's drink to this." A great success, you see. How could a country prohibit just the drinking of gin, not the drinking of anything else for forty years? Answer: The rich people drank whiskey and the poor people drank what? -- gin. Do you see it? Let's try the gambling prohibition. Have you ever seen the rhetoric that goes around the gambling prohibition? Because, who is not supposed to gamble? Oh, you know who is not supposed to gamble -- THEM poor people, that's who. My God, they will spend the milk money. They don't know how to control it. They can't handle it. But US? We know what we are doing. That's it. Every criminal prohibition has that same touch to it, doesn't it? It is enacted by US and it always regulates the conduct of THEM. And so, if you understand that is the name of the game, you don't have to ask me, or any of the other people which prohibitions will be abolished and which ones won't because you will always know. The iron law of prohibitions -- all of them -- is that they are passed by an identifiable US to control the conduct of an identifiable THEM. And a prohibition is absolutely done for when it does what? Comes back and bothers US. Let's just try the marijuana prohibition as a quick one. Who do you think was arrested 650,000 strong in 1993 for violation of the marijuana laws? Do you think it was all minority group members? Nope. It was not. It was some very identifiable children of US -- children of the middle class. No prohibition will stand -- ever-- when it comes back and penalizes our children -- the children of US who enacted it. And in fact, do you have any real doubt about that? But, let me say that I am not confident that good sense will prevail. Why? Because we love this idea of prohibition. We really do. They love it in the USA and we love it in this country. And so I will tell you what I predict. Well, folks, we are going to have a new prohibition because we love this idea that we can solve difficult medical, economic, and social problems by the simple enactment of a criminal law. We adore this, and of course, you judges work it out, we have solved our problem. Do you have it? Our problem is over with the enactment of the law. You and the cops work it out, but we have solved our problem.

Here comes the new one? What's it going to be? No, it won't be guns, this one starts easy. This one is the Surgeon General has what? --Determined -- not "we want a little more checking it out", not "we need a few more studies", not "reasonable people disagree" -- "The Surgeon General has determined that the smoking of cigarettes will kill you." There has to be another thing. It has to divide by class --- by social or economic class, between US and THEM. But, you know who has quit smoking, don't you? In gigantic numbers? The college-educated, that's who. The college-educated, that's who doesn't smoke. Who are they? Tomorrow's what? Movers and kickers, that's who. Tomorrow's movers and kickers don't smoke. Who does smoke? Oh, you know who smokes out of all proportion to their numbers in the society -- it is the people standing in your criminal courtrooms, that's who. Who are they? Tomorrow's moved and kicked, that's who. And, there it is friends, once it divides between the movers and kickers and the moved and kicked it is all over and it will be all over very shortly. You know that the cigarette companies are expecting it. What have they been doing? They have been shifting all of their operations out of the United States and diversifying like crazy. Where are they going to sell their cigarettes? In China and Africa, that's where. And they are already moving, because they see it and I see it. And cigarettes are no longer going to be three dollars a pack; they are going to be three dollars a piece. And who's going to sell them to you? Who will always sell them to you? The people who will sell you anything -- organized crime. You got the concept; they will go through the whole darn thing again because the USA is hooked on the notion of prohibition. Because the USA loves this idea of prohibitions, they can't live without them. They are their very favorite thing because they know how to solve difficult, social, economic, and medical problems -- a new criminal law with harsher penalties in every category for everybody.

South Africa had concerns about cannabis use among Indians brought to work in the colony. In 1870 a law was passed forbidding the smoking, use or possession of hemp by Indians.

In 1911, South Africa began the outlawing of marijuana for the same reasons as New Orleans: to stop insolent blacks! White South Africa, along with Egypt, led the international fight (League of Nations) to have cannabis outlawed worldwide.

The BANTUS (Africa) had secret Dagga Cults, societies which restricted cannabis use to the ruling men. The Pygmies, Zulus, and Hottentots all found it an indispensable medication for cramps, epilepsy, and gout, and as a religious sacrament. Their "Dagga" cults believed Holy Cannabis was brought to earth by the Gods, in particular from the "Two Dog Star" system that we call Sirius A and B. "Dagga" literally means "cannabis." Interestingly, the surviving Indo-European word for the plant can also be read as "canna," "reed" and "bi," "two," as well as 'canna,' as in canine; and 'bis,' meaning two (bi) ß "Two Dogs." South Africa still allowed its black mine workers to smoke dagga in the mines, though. Why? Because they were more productive! In fact, in that same year, South Africa influenced southern U.S. legislators to outlaw cannabis (which many black South Africans revered as "dagga, their sacred herb). Many South Africans' American business headquarters were in New Orleans at the time.

This is the whole racial and religious (Medieval Catholic Church) basis out of which our laws against hemp arose.

Are you proud?

Current international treaties

The international treaties relating to cannabis are the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs 1961 as amended by the 1972 Protocol, the Convention on Psychotropic Substances 1971 and the 1988 UN Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Vienna Convention).

Isn't it interesting that in 1985 the U.S. incarcerated a larger percentage of people than any country in the world except South Africa? In 1989, the U.S. surpassed South Africa, and the 1997 incarceration rate is almost four times that of South Africa, is the highest in the world, and is growing.

History of marijuana & cannabis use and abuse

6000 B.C. Cannabis seeds used for food in China. 4000 B.C. Textiles made of hemp are used in China. (Pharmacotheon) 2727 B.C. First recorded use of cannabis as medicine in Chinese pharmacopoeia. In every part of the world humankind has used cannabis for a wide variety of health problems. 1500 B.C. Cannabis cultivated in China for food and fiber. 1500 B.C. Scythians cultivate cannabis and use it to weave fine hemp cloth. (Sumach 1975) 1200-800 B.C. Cannabis is mentioned in the Hindu sacred text Atharvaveda (Science of Charms) as "Sacred Grass", one of the five sacred plants of India. It is used by medicinally and ritually as an offering to Shiva. 700-600 B.C. The Zoroastrian Zend-Avesta, an ancient Persian religious text of several hundred volumes, and said to have been written by Zarathustra (Zoroaster), refers to bhang as Zoroaster's "good narcotic" (Vendidad or The Law Against Demons) 700-300 B.C. Scythian tribes leave cannabis seeds as offerings in royal tombs. 500 B.C. Scythian couple die and are buried with two small tents covering censers. Attached to one tent stick was a decorated leather pouch containing wild Cannabis seeds. This closely matches the stories told by Herodotus. The gravesite, discovered in the late 1940s, was in Pazryk, northwest of the Tien Shan Mountains in modern-day Khazakstan. 500 B.C. Hemp is introduced into Northern Europe by the Scythians. An urn containing leaves and seeds of the Cannabis plant, unearthed near Berlin, is dated to about this time. 500-100 B.C. Hemp spreads throughout northern Europe. 430 B.C. Herodotus reports on both ritual and recreation use of Cannabis by the Scythians (Herodotus - The Histories 430 B.C. trans. G. Rawlinson). 100 B.C.-0 The psychotropic properties of Cannabis are mentioned in the newly compiled herbal Pen Ts'ao Ching which is attributed to an emperor c. 2700 B.C. 0-100 A.D. Construction of Samartian gold and glass paste stash box for storing hashish, coriander, or salt, buried in Siberian tomb. 70 A.D. Dioscorides mentions the use of Cannabis as a Roman medicament. 170 A.D. Galen (Roman) alludes to the psychoactivity of Cannabis seed confections. 500-600 A.D. The Jewish Talmud mentions the euphoriant properties of Cannabis. (Abel 1980) 900-1000 A.D. Scholars debate the pros and cons of eating hashish. Use spreads throughout Arabia. 1090-1256 A.D. In Khorasan, Persia, Hasan ibn al-Sabbah, the Old Man of the Mountain, recruits followers to commit assassinations...legends develop around their supposed use of hashish. These legends are some of the earliest written tales of the discovery of the inebriating powers of cannabis and the supposed use of hashish. 1200s Cannabis is introduced in Egypt during the reign of the Ayyubid dynasty on the occasion of the flooding of Egypt by mystic devotees coming from Syria. (M.K. Hussein 1957 - Soueif 1972) Early 1200s Hashish smoking very popular throughout the Middle East. 1155-1221 Persian legend of the Sufi master Sheik Haidar's of Khorasan's personal discovery of Cannabis and it's subsequent spread to Iraq, Bahrain, Egypt and Syria. Another of the ealiest written narratives of the use of Cannabis as an inebriant. 1300s The oldest monograph on hashish, Zahr al-'arish fi tahrim al-hashish, was written. It has since been lost. 1300s Ibn al-Baytar of Spain provides a description of psychaoctive Cannabis. 1300s Arab traders bring Cannabis to the Mozambique coast of Africa. 1231 Hashish introduced to Iraq in the reign of Caliph Mustansir (Rosenthal 1971) 1271-1295 Journeys of Marco Polo in which he gives second-hand reports of the story of Hasan ibn al-Sabbah and his "assassins" using hashish. First time reports of Cannabis have been brought to the attention of Europe. 1378 Ottoman Emir Soudoun Scheikhouni issues one of the first edicts against the eating of hashish. 1526 Babur Nama, first emperor and founder of Mughal Empire learned of hashish in Afghanistan. mid 1600s The epic poem, Benk u Bode, by the poet Mohammed Ebn Soleiman Foruli of Baghdad, deals allegorically with a dialectical battle between wine and hashish. 1700s Use of hashish, alcohol, and opium spreads among the population of occupied Constantinople. Late 1700s Hashish becomes a major trade item between Central Asia and South Asia. 1809 Antoine Sylvestre de Sacy, a leading Arabist, reveals the etymology of the words "assassin" and "hashishin“ 1840 In America, medicinal preparations with a cannabis base are available. Hashish available in Persian pharmacies. 1843 Le Club des Hachichins, or Hashish Eater's Club, established in Paris. after 1850 Hashish appears in Greece. 1856 British tax ganja and charas trade in India 1870-1880 First reports of hashish smoking on Greek mainland. 1875 Cultivation for hashish introduced to Greece.1877 Kerr reports on Indian ganja and charas trade. 1890 Greek Department of Interior prohibits importation, cultivation and use of hashish. 1890 Hashish made illegal in Turkey. 1893-1894 The India Hemp Drugs Commission Report is issued.1893- 1894 70,000 to 80,000 kg of hashish legally imported into India from Central Asia each year.

Early 1900s Hashish smoking very popular throughout the Middle East. 1915-1927 Cannabis begins to be prohibited for nonmedical use in the U.S., especially in SW states...California (1915), Texas (1919), Louisiana (1924), and New York (1927). 1920 Metaxus dictators in Greece crack down on hashish smoking. 1920s Hashish smuggled into Egypt from Greece, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, and Central Asia. 1926 Lebanese hashish production peaks after World War I until prohibited in 1926. 1928 Recrational use of Cannabis is banned in Britain. 1920s-1930s High-quality hashish produced in Turkey near Greek border. 1930 Yarkand region of Chinese Turkestan exports 91,471 kg of hashish legally into the Northwest Frontier and Punjab regions of India. 1930s Legal taxed imports of hashish continue into India from Central Asia. 1934-1935 Chinese government moves to end all Cannabis cultivation in Yarkand and charas traffic from Yarkand. Both licit and illicit hashish production become illegal in Chinese Turkestan. 1937 Cannabis made federally illegal in the U.S. with the passage of the Marihuana Tax Act 1938 Supply of hashish from chinese Turkestan nearly ceases. 1940s Greek hashish smoking tradition fades. 1941 Indian government considers cultivation in Kashmir to fill void of hashish from Chinese Turkestan. 1941-1942 Hand-rubbed charas from Nepal is choicest hashish in India during World War II. 1945 Legal hashish consumption continues in India. 1945-1955 Hashish use in Greece flourishes again. 1950s Hashish still smuggled into India from Chinese Central Asia. 1950s Moroccan government tacitly allows kif cultivation in Rif Mountains. 1962 First hashish made in Morocco 1963 Turkish police seize 2.5 tons of hashish. 1965 First reports of C. afghanica use for hashish production in northern Afghanistan. 1965 Mustafa comes to Ketama in Morocco to make hashish from local kif. 1966 The Moroccan government attempts to purge kif growers from Rif Mountains. 1967 "Smash", the first hashish oil appears. Red Lebanese reaches California. Late 1960s-Early 1970s The Brotherhood popularizes Afghani hashish. 1970-1973 Huge fields of Cannabis cultivated for hashish production in Afghanistan. Last years that truly great afghani hashish is available. Oct 27, 1970 The Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act is passed. Part II of this is the Controlled Substance Act (CSA) which defines a scheduling system for drugs and places most of the known hallucinogens (LSD, psilocybin, psilocin, mescaline, peyote, cannabis) in Schedule I. 1972 The Nixon-appointed Shafer Commission urged use of cannabis be re-legalized, but their recommendation was ignored. Medical research continues. Early 1970s Lebanese red and blonde hashish of very high-quality exported. The highest quality Turkish hashish from Gaziantep near Syria appears in western Europe. Early 1970s Afghani hashish varieties introduced to North America for sinsemilla production. Westerners bring metal sieve cloths to Afghanistan. Law enforcement efforts against hashish begin in Afghanistan. 1973 Nepal bans the Cannabis shops and charas (hand-rolled hash) export. 1973 Afghan government makes hashish production and sales illegal. Afghani harvest is pitifully small. 1975 FDA establishes Compassionate Use program for medical marijuana. 1976-1977 Quality of Lebanese hashish reaches zenith. 1978 Westerners make sieved hashish in Nepal from wild Cannabis. Late 1970s Increasing manufacture of "modern" Afghani hashish. Cannabis varieties from Afghanistan imported into Kashmir for sieved hashish production. 1980s Morocco becomes one of, if not the largest, hashish producing and exporting nations. 1980s "Border" hashish produced in northwestern Pakistan along the Afghan border to avoid Soviet-Afghan war. 1985 Hashish still produced by Muslims of Kashgar and Yarkland (NW China). 1986 Most private stashes of pre-war Afghani hashish in Amsterdam, Goa, and America are nearly finished. 1987 Moroccan government cracks down upon Cannabis cultivation in lower eleations of Rif Mountains. 1988 DEA administrative law Judge Francis Young finds after thorough hearings that marijuana has clearly established medical use and should be reclassified as a prescriptive drug. 1993 Cannabis eradication efforts resume in Morocco. 1994 Heavy fighting between rival Muslim clans continues to upset hashish trade in Afghanistan. 1994 Border hashish still produced in Pakistan. 1995 Introduction of hashish-making equipment and appearance of locally produced hashish in Amsterdam coffee shops. Sept 1 2003 The Netherlands became the world's first country to make cannabis available as a prescription drug to treat chronically ill patients.

HEMP FARMING

Hemp is farmed for the harvest of its valuable pulp, fibre, grain and oil. It can be used as an oxygen crop, to prevent soil erosion and to suppress noxious weeds. Its ease of cultivation and resistance to pests and disease allows hemp to be a suitable inclusion in any crop rotation. Hemp grows well in a moderately cool, temperate climate with a neutral or slightly alkaline soil pH. In fact only the bare essentials are required i.e., soil, water, sunlight and air. Hemp is a self-seeding, self-weeding and self-fertilizing plant, hence takes care of itself and can be grown in almost any country in the world.

Automobiles

Companies such as Mercedes,BMW, Ford etc are using hemp in components such as gaskets, seat covers, floor mats and interior panelling. Indeed hemp fibre is currently being tested as a replacement for fibreglass in the industry.

Health and Beauty

Use in this sector is not entirely new but is being increasingly used for massage oils, lip balms, soaps and shampoos. Hemp oil is high in vitamin and essential fatty acids, which can assist in the human body's ability to heal naturally. It can also be used in animal feed and other foodstuff and dietary supplements.

Textiles

Interestingly the first pair of Levi jeans were made from hemp. It can be used to create blankets, mattresses, carpets, draperies, furniture, towels, hats, shoes, luggage bags, sails and tents. Hemp fibres are longer, stronger, more lustrous and less susceptible to rotting or mildew than many of its competitors. Paper Hemp paper has existed since 150 BC when the Chinese produced the first one hundred percent hemp paper. It has a yield-per-acre which is several times higher than that of trees. It can resist decomposition and does not fade or turn yellow but is more costly than paper processed from wood.

"Why use up the forest which were centuries in the making and the mines which require ages to lay down, if we can get the equivalent of forest and mineral products in the annual growth of the fields."

Fuel:

• Farming 6% of the continental U.S. acreage with biomass crops would provide all of America's energy needs.

• Hemp is Earth's number-one biomass resource; it is capable of producing 10 tons per acre in four months.

• Biomass can be converted to methane, methanol, or gasoline at a cost comparable to petroleum, and hemp is much better for the environment. Pyrolysis (charcoalizing), or biochemical composting are two methods of turning hemp into fuel.

• Hemp can produce 10 times more methanol than corn.

• Hemp fuel burns clean. Petroleum causes acid rain due to sulfur pollution.

• The use of hemp fuel does not contribute to global warming.

Food:

• Hemp seed can be pressed into nutritious oil, which contains the highest amount of fatty acids in the plant kingdom. Essential oils are responsible for our immune system responses, and clear the arteries of cholesterol and plaque.

• The byproduct of pressing the oil from hemp seed is high quality protein seed cake. It can be sprouted (malted) or ground and baked into cakes, breads, and casseroles. Hemp seed protein is one of mankind's finest, most complete and available-to-the-body vegetable proteins.

• Hemp seed was the world's number one wild and domestic bird seed until the 1937 Marijuana prohibition law. Four million pounds of hemp seed for songbirds were sold at retail in the U.S. in 1937. Birds will pick hemp seeds out and eat them first from a pile of mixed seed. Birds in the wild live longer and breed more with hemp seed in their diet, using the oil for the feathers and their overall health.

Fiber:

• Hemp is the oldest cultivated fiber plant in the world.

• Low-THC fiber hemp varieties developed by the French and others have been available for over 20 years. It is impossible to get high from fiber hemp. Over 600,000 acres of hemp is grown worldwide with no drug misuse problem.

• One acre of hemp can produce as much usable fiber as 4 acres of trees or two acres of cotton.

• Trees cut down to make paper take 50 to 500 years to grow, while hemp can be cultivated in as little as 100 days and can yield 4 times more paper over a 20 year period. Until 1883, from 75-90% of all paper in the world was made with cannabis hemp fiber including that for books, Bibles, maps, paper money, stocks and bonds, newspapers, etc.

• Hemp paper is longer lasting than wood pulp, stronger, acid-free, and chlorine free. (Chlorine is estimated to cause up to 10% of all Cancers.)

• Hemp paper can be recycled 7 times, wood pulp 4 times.

• If the hemp pulp paper process reported by the USDA in 1916, were legal today it would soon replace 70% of all wood paper products.

Rag paper containing hemp fiber is the highest quality and longest lasting paper ever made. It can be torn when wet, but returns to its full strength when dry. Barring extreme conditions, rag paper remains stable for centuries.

• Hemp particle board may be up to 2 times stronger than wood particleboard and holds nails better.

• Hemp is softer, warmer, more water absorbent, has three times the tensile strength, and is many times more durable than cotton. Hemp production uses less chemicals than cotton.

• From 70-90% of all rope, twine, and cordage was made from hemp until 1937.

• A strong lustrous fiber; hemp withstands heat, mildew, insects, and damage by light. Oil paintings on hemp and/or flax canvas have stayed in fine condition for centuries.

Medicine:

• Deaths from marijuana use: 0

• From 1842 through the 1880s, extremely strong marijuana (then known as cannabis extractums), hashish extracts, tinctures, and elixirs were routinely the second and third most-used medicines in America for humans (from birth through old age). These extracts were also used in veterinary medicine until the 1920s and longer.

• For at least 3,000 years prior to 1842 widely varying marijuana extracts (bud, leaves, roots, etc.) were the most commonly used real medicines in the world for the majority of mankind's illnesses.

The U.S. Pharmacopoeia indicated cannabis should be used for treating such ailments as fatigue, fits of coughing, rheumatism, asthma, delirium tremens, migraine headaches, and the cramps and depressions associated with menstruation.

• In this century, cannabis research has demonstrated therapeutic value and complete safety in the treatment of many health problems including asthma, glaucoma, nausea, tumors, epilepsy, infection, stress, migraines, anorexia, depression, rheumatism, arthritis, and possibly herpes.

• Deaths from aspirin (U.S. per year): 180 - 1,000 +

• Deaths from legal drugs (U.S. per year) at doses used for prevention, diagnosis, or therapy: 106,000

Industry:

• Almost any product that can be made from wood, cotton, or petroleum (including plastics) can be made from hemp. There are more than 25,000 known uses for hemp.

• For thousands of years virtually all good paints and varnishes were made with hemp seed oil and/or linseed oil.

• Hemp stems are 80% hurds (pulp by-product after the hemp fiber is removed from the plant). Hemp hurds are 77% cellulose - a primary chemical feed stock (industrial raw material) used in the production of chemicals, plastics, and fibers. Depending on which U.S. agricultural report is correct, an acre of full grown hemp plants can sustainably provide from four to 50 or even 100 times the cellulose found in cornstalks, kenaf, or sugar cane (the planet's next highest annual cellulose plants).

One acre of hemp produces as much cellulose fiber pulp as 4.1 acres of trees, making hemp a perfect material to replace trees for pressed board, particle board, and concrete construction molds.

If hemp could supply the energy needs of the United States, its value would be inestimable. Now that the drug czar is in final retreat, America has an opportunity to, once and for all, say farewell to the Exxon Valdez, Saddam Hussein and a prohibitively expensive brinkmanship in the desert sands of Saudi Arabia. - Hugh Downs, ABC News, New York

At this point I would like to apologise for this document being so long but you have to admit, it is fascinating reading.

So at this point what are we doing with hemp in South Africa?

South Africa Today

Currently industrial trials are being grown in the Western and Eastern Cape.

Herewith a brief synopsis relating to the hemp industry in South Africa

1994- The ARC/IIC (then TCRI – Tobacco and Cotton Research Institute) secures a research contract with SAHC, sponsored by PG Bison, to investigate the viability of creating a SA Hemp sub-tropical cultivar.

1996 – the Eastern Cape Hemp steering committee (ECHSC) headed by Vuyo Mahlabi (VMP) for wild coast SDI, and co-chaired by Zongie Mbekeni (ZM) (ECDEAT), with the private sector participation of SAHC/Planet AC. Prior to the request for funding to the NDA by the ECHSC, the ARC ITCRI and the CSIR (Textec - Alex Boguslavski) published a recommendation (Dr. Joubert) that for climatic reasons and latitude position, Hemp could not possibly grow in the Eastern Cape. The SAHC/Planet AC and their technology partners, led by the EFC (Francois Desanlis, Head of Research and Development at the LCDA – the most successful Hemp producers in the EU) undertook a counter feasibility study on the Hemp capacity to crow in the Eastern Cape, which was conclusive and then accepted by the ARC/TCRI and CSIR Textec. 1997 The first trials started under the responsibility of the ECHSC, with the seeds imported under permits from France (EFC) and Novosadska – the SAHC/Planet signed confidentiality and plant breeders right agreement with the seed owners 1998 The National Hemp Initiative was born as a result of the positive first trials, and officially launched in DOHNE, in August 1998 in presence of Minister Thoko Didiza, and MEC for agriculture EC Mr. Max Mamase. The French technology partners were present as well as American partners – Don Wirtshafer. The Agro-trials for French and Yugoslavian seeds was renewed and agreed upon to be extended to the existing 5 sites. The ARC/TCRI was commissioned to handle the trials and French experts were called again by SAHC/Planet to co-manage results – recommendations were given to the ARC. 1999 Under the pressure of the NHF, the three performing cultivars (Felina, Fedora and Novosadska) were registered at the Department of Agriculture, Department of Genetic Resources as industrial agricultural crops, as well as the deregulation of Hemp from weed status. 2000 The NHF decided to engage in trials on 11 sites in the Eastern Cape – with the three most performing cultivars, registered with the NDA. At this time, a full member of the NHF, Thandeka Kunene, negotiated a RM15 from the Poverty Alleviation Fund (PAF) through the DACST. These funds included a budget for seeds, which was allocated to purchase French cultivars and were in the custody of the CSIR Textec. The ARC proceeded with the transaction, organized by the SAHC/Planet. 2001 ECDALA was chairing the NHF, and under the leadership of L. Ngada orchestrated the transformation of the NHF as follows:  In view of the confirmed results from research and agreements with the DOH that the NHF shall handle the application for permits for all provincial project, the private sector was asked to resign from the NHF and start their own projects. This was at the time that SAHX/Planet presented the Hemp industrial Park project to the NHF for endorsement, which was obtained a the end of 2001 – together with the endorsement of the Naturally “Yours” center, a center which used Hemp bricks walling as a demo for the WSSD2002. 2002 The CSIR (Textec) hold a conference at the WSSD 2002, on the Natural Fibers, where Hemp is a major fixture. Foreign guest speakers were invited at lavish costs (Jess Calloway from the Finish Hemp cultivar FINOLA is a close associate of EFC) to speak about Hemp. 2003 The NNIP through Chicory SA, requested technical data form the ARC/IIC (Dr. Joubert, in person) on the Hemp trials results in Eastern Cape. 5 years have been costly spent in a research which led to determine three acceptable cultivars for industrial trials. 2004 Formation of Western Cape Hemp Initiative (WCHI) as part of the National Hemp Initiative (NHI)

It is important to develop sound business plans for rollout of commercial and industrial hemp in South Africa. There has to be a pre-determined use for the anticipated crop. The first stage is to grow hemp for making paper and to develop a paper making industry. This can be followed by growing hemp for various other reasons such as rehabilitation of marginal soils, growing hemp for seed, for making foodstuffs, hemp for oil extraction, followed by hemp for building materials, leading to textiles and finally to fiber for the automotive industry. Infrastructures need to be built for decortification and processing. It is also necessary to understand the difference between hemp and marijuana or dagga as it is commonly called in South Africa. Although both dagga and hemp share the same Genus species name, Cannabis sativa (L) they are as different from each other as a Doberman is to a poodle, although they both are dogs. The essential difference lies in the level of THC (Tetra Hydra Cannabinol) content of the plant, (THC is the psychotropic bio chemical present in the Dagga variety of Cannabis) THC is usually present when Cannabis sativa is grown as dagga. This means the plants are nurtured and cultivated, spaced and grown to produce lush flowering buds. Hemp on the other hand is grown by broadcasting the seed so they grow in close proximity allowing them to compete for space and light. This causes the plants to grow prolific stalks which produces the valuable fibers and contains little if any THC. Cultivation of dagga and hemp are not complimentary. Quality of dagga will be most inferior if pollinated by hemp. Hemp is legal in approximately 70 “civilized “countries. “ Civilized “ because hemp was at the origin of western and far – Eastern civilizations, as hemp was the single most important crop in the entire northern hemisphere, producing the ropes and textiles for the logistics of expansionism, the paper for the dissemination of knowledge, the protein for the development of intelligence. Hemp has been cultivated since 4000 BC.and has only been temporarily “out of fashion.” The time has come where it can again be utilized to produce myriads of consumer goods by developing new enterprises and industries that will contribute towards the rise out of poverty.

Conclusion

By integrating this multi-dimensional approach, a comprehensive energy efficient housing concept forming the backbone of a sustainable smart modern African digital eco-village, a nutritional solution encompassing indoor sprouting gardens, organic farming and permaculture practices as well as the re-introduction of a hemp industry, we stand more than a reasonable chance of making a difference and contributing to the alleviation of poverty.