Wallstreet's Spontaneous Abortionists

[DdC]

Don't Let Congress Poison People
From the DPA: Quote: Congress is considering a drug war idea so bad that even Drug Czar John Walters is against it. The House has authorized, and the Senate is considering, a proposal to revive research on the use of toxic, mold-like fungi called mycoherbicides to kill drug crops in other countries.

Tell Congress it's a bad idea!

Mycoherbicides have already been extensively studied over the last thirty years - and the results make it clear that they are not an option for controlling crops of coca or opium poppies. They attack indiscriminately, destroying fruit and vegetable crops, causing open sores and feminization in reptiles and other animals, and sickening humans as well. The toxins mycoherbicides produce contaminate soil for years, so that nothing can grow where they have been. Mycoherbicides are so destructive that governments have even stockpiled them as weapons!

Drug warriors use ecocides & herbicide 15 Jul, 2005
Kill the earth, kill the plants, kill the people

Genetically modified pot-killing fungus 19 Jun, 1999
US and UN scientists are building biological weapons to wipe-out pot, poppies and coca.

Killer fungi 01 May, 1999
US and UN scientists are building biological weapons to wipe-out pot, poppies and coca.

EU Scientists Legalize Controversial Herbicide

Poison Pot

FLA: Introduced /Fusarium/ plan
Marijuana-Eating Fungus Seen as Potent Weapon, but at What Cost?

South Dakota Bans Nearly ALL Abortions?



Killer Fungus Touted to Eradicate State Pot Crop! By Julie Hauserman
Source: St. Petersburg Times July 17, 1999

Florida Drug Czar Wants To Use Fungus On Marijuana Crops.
Scientists Fear It Could Attack Other Plants. Would-Be Hemp Farmers In Other States Should Sue To Stop This Biological Warfare.

Bush Backs a Promotion for Florida's Drug Czar

"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes. [Who will police the police?]"
- Latin proverb

Montana NORML Receives Documents on Anti-Drug Fungus Research 8/27/99
The Montana chapter of NORML last Wednesday (8/19) received more than 150 documents from Montana State University at Bozeman related to a US Department of Agriculture (USDA)-funded research project at the school that is developing mycoherbicides, or fungi, to kill marijuana and poppy plants. MSU released the documents after Montana NORML filed suit against the school under the state constitution's right-to-know clause.

Killing Cannabis with mycoherbicides
The importation of foreign fungi into new habitats is fraught with controversy. Once a self-perpetuating fungus has been released, it is impossible to recall or control (Lockwood 1993). Despite host-range testing to identify potential nontarget hosts, exotic fungi can spread from their intended targets to other plants. The entire flora of a continent may ultimately be exposed, especially if the fungus produces wind-borne spores (Auld 1991). Because of this concern, only two exotic fungi have ever been intentionally imported into North America—Puccinia chondrillina and Puccinia carduorum.

Fear of "collateral damage" to nontarget plants is justified. (Helianthus annuus) and Calendula officinalis (Auld 1991). Native fungi sold as mycoherbicides may also spread to new hosts after release. (TeBeest 1988).

Introduction

The U.S. Congress recently appropriated $23 million dollars to fund a "new solution" for the war on drugs. The new solution attacks drugs at their source — the drug plants. Researchers say they can eliminate drug plants with fungal pathogens. The fungi would be genetically engineered to kill only coca plants (Erythroxylon sp.), opium poppies (Papaver sp.), and marijuana (Cannabis sp.).

Rep. Bill McCollum, who introduced the appropriation bill, described the tactic as "a silver bullet in the drug war" (Fields 1998). The development of transgenic coca and opium pathogens began several years ago, but previous appropriations were relatively small (the 1998 budget was $2.58 million). This year McCollum expanded the program to include marijuana, and moved the budget’s decimal point to the right.


Figure 1. Healthy marijuana seedling (C) flanked by plants exposed to pathogenic fungi (P.g. and M.p.).

Hemp Tied Down By Stupid Laws
Source: Minnesota Daily April 11, 2006 Editorial**
Minnesota -- Hemp was the plant of choice for the founding fathers of our nation. Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson often praised the plant in their writings and tried to persuade others to grow it as a cash crop. Nonetheless since the passage of the Marijuana Tax Act in 1937, this has not been a possibility for citizens of the United States. A new University study, however, could pave the way to change that.

TED Case Studies
Hemp Case (HEMP)

Changing the law could impact the environment in the US because hemp could revolutionize the paper industry and reduce deforestation, and because hemp production requires the use of far fewer pesticides than the fibers it could replace.

Hemp can also be grown without the pesticides that are necessary for cultivation of other textiles and paper products, such as cotton which requires large amounts of pesticides and today is the most polluting of all agricultural industries. Cotton production, in fact, accounts for half the pesticide use in the US, and that product is one of the major products for which hemp could be substituted.

Cannabis Hemp: The Invisible Prohibition Revealed

Switching cotton fields to hemp fields would improve: the quality of our soil, the durability of our clothes, the safety of our ground source water, the quality of our air, and the preservation of forests cut for paper (not to mention saving hundreds of thousands of lives prematurely ended by disease caused by pollution) In 1993, two hundred and fifty thousand tons of pesticides were used to grow cotton world-wide.

These pesticides wash into streams and rivers, destroying eco-systems and poisoning human water supplies. Today the water supplies of many large cities are contaminated. Many of the vegetables we eat and clothes we wear contain pesticide residues. We must develop and utilize sustainable technologies if we want to survive and prosper in the next millenium. Hemp is a perfect sustainable raw material for thousands of products. Textiles, cosmetics, building materials, fuel and food can all be made from hemp.

Research Updates: Toxics and Health

Pesticide Exposure in Farm Families Linked to Spontaneous Abortion
The timing and types of pesticide exposures are critical determinants of reproductive outcomes, according to a recently published study by Canadian researchers. The study examined pesticide exposures based on recall by farm families and reported histories of spontaneous abortions among women living on the farms. The study found strong evidence that a woman’s exposure to pesticides in the three months prior to conception or in the month of conception significantly increased her risk of spontaneous abortion.

Preconception exposure to the pesticides glyphosate, atrazine, carbaryl, and 2,4-D increased relative risk of spontaneous abortion by 20-40%. Risks were even higher for women exposed to pesticides at age 35 or older and for women exposed to pesticide mixtures. For example, older women exposed to both triazines and thiocarbamates before conception had a nearly 8- fold increase in risk of spontaneous abortion over women exposed to triazines only. The authors urge that additional research be conducted to assess reproductive effects of other chemicals and mixtures, and to investigate the role of maternal age on chemical toxicity.

Arbuckle, TE, et al. "An Exploratory Analysis of the Effect of Pesticide Exposure on the Risk of Spontaneous Abortion in an Ontario Farm Population." Environmental Health Perspectives 109(8): 851-857 (2001).

[DdC]

Mama Coca wants Colombia's fumigation to end

Sign a petition to end anti-drug sprays

Further Reading

* Spray campaigns under fire
* Death spray legal defense
* Latin America rejecting US drug war
* Bolivian peasants or narco-terrorists?


A Colombian boy shows blisters on his face caused by herbicide spray

The Colombian drug reform organization Mama Coca is asking people everywhere to sign their online petition to end US-sponsored Arial fumigation of drug crops in their country that has murdered children, deformed fetuses, poisoned and killed livestock, destroyed food crops, and ravaged the environment.

Maternal DDE Exposure Increases Risk of Premature Birth
There is new evidence of an association between increased DDE (a DDT metabolite) levels in the mother’s blood and highe r risk for delivering premature or smaller than normal babies. Researchers analyzed DDE levels in blood samples that were collected from pregnant women from 1959-1966, when DDT was still widely used in the U.S.

They found that the odds of a woman delivering a preterm or small baby increased with higher DDE serum levels. Premature birth is known to increase infant mortality. This new finding raises serious concerns for the health of pregnant women and their babies in countries where DDT is still used. DDT has been banned or restricted in industrialized countries since the 1970s, but is still widely used in many countries for control of mosquito-borne diseases.

Longnecker, MP et al., "Association between maternal serum concentration of the DDT metabolite DDE and preterm and small- for-gestational-age babies at birth". The Lancet 348:110-114 (2001).

»Lead Exposure Linked to Lou Gherig's Disease
»PCB Exposure in Older Adults Linked to Memory and Learning Impairments
»Long-term Pesticide Exposure Found to Impair Cognitive Function
»Exposure to Mixtures of Persistent Organochlorines May Contribute to Breast Cancer

WHERE'S THE HEMP? By John E. Dvorak, Hempologist

DeLay Pesticidal Killers



COMMON ARSENICAL PESTICIDE UNDER SCRUTINY
According to the U.S. EPA, MSMA "can reasonably be anticipated to cause cancer in humans" and is converted in the environment to inorganic arsenic, a known human carcinogen. About 4 million pounds of MSMA is applied every year to golf courses and cotton fields in the United States to control weeds. The pesticide has been banned in India and Indonesia.

Origins and History of Hemp

• Originating from Central Asia, hemp was probably the first plant cultivated for use of its fiber
• The oldest evidence of cultivated hemp fiber dates back to 8000 B.C.
• While first embraced by ancient Chineese cultures, hemp spread west and was used throughout India, Egypt and later Europe
• Animals have also done their part to spread hemp, as birds eat and pass seeds along their global migrations
• United States Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both grew hemp

3 Parts of Hemp

• Seed
• Fiber
• Hurd, or woody inner core

Many uses of Hemp

• Oil • Textiles • Food • Paper & packaging
• Rope & cordage • Building fiber • Fuel & lubricants
• Paints & sealants • Plastics and polymers
• Furniture • Energy & biomass

Farming

• Grows well without herbicides, fungicides, or pesticides
• Grows 6 to 11 feet tall in 110 days
• Its deep-root system can prevent erosion
• Grows tall and provides its own natural shade and defense against weeds
• Its usable fiber located in the stalk is cultivated while the energy rich leaves and buds are returned to enrich the soil

Hemp v. Trees

• Hemp grown for paper and construction fiber can help reduce deforestation, and prevent pollution and degradation of our environment from harsh chemicals and erosion
• Hemp can be recycled 7 times while maintaining a suitable substrate and surface for modern printing purposes, compared with 3 times for tree paper
• Hemp fiberboard was found to be twice as strong as wood-based fiberboard in a Washington State University study
• Hemp produces more pulp per acre than timber, therefore is more sustainable
• Hemp's low lignin content reduces the need for acids used in pulping
• Hemp paper resists decomposition and does not yellow with age when an acid-free process is used
• Because of its natural color, hemp can be bleached in environmentally friendly ways instead of using harsh chlorine compounds

Hemp v. Cotton

• Hemp is much more sustainable than cotton, it is stronger, yields more fiber per acre, and can be grown organically.
• Hemp has eight times the tensile strength and four times the durability of cotton
• Hemp fiber is longer, stronger, more absorbent and insulates much better than cotton fiber
• While hemp requires little to no chemical pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers, cotton consumes 7% of the world’s fertilizers, and 26% of the world’s chemical pesticides
• In the United States, more than half of the chemical pesticides used in agriculture are used on cotton
• Per acre, hemp can create 2 to 3 times more fiber than cotton

Hemp as food

• Nutritionally rich and high in protein, hemp seed and hemp seed oil has been an ideal food source and consumed worldwide by many cultures in Asia, India, and Africa for thousands of years.
• Hemp seed can be a cheap and sustainable source of protein and is rich in nutritionally important Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids, B-vitamins, contains vitamins A, C, and E, Beta Carotene, and is high in dietary fiber
• Hemp seed is easily grown organically, not requiring any pesticides, fertilizers, or chemicals
• Hemp seed is used in bird seed, and can be a nutritionally valuable in use as feed for chickens and other livestock

Hemp as fuel

• Can be turned into methane, methanol, and gasoline much cheaper than fossil fuels
• Reduce the environmental costs of fossil fuels and nuclear energy, such as hazardous wastes, acid rain, and smog

Other Hemp uses

• Oil can be used to make paints, varnishes, soaps, cosmetics, ointments, lotions, heating oil, engine lubricants, lacquer, sealants, plastic resins, etc
• Can be blended with recycled plastics to make injection-molded products
• Can be used to make cellophane packaging

Poison Inc. Pesticides v Hemp
Victims/Injured by Pesticide/Chemical Poisoning
Symptoms of Pesticide Poisoning
Stories of Poisonings

It is difficult to get a man to understand something
when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.
Upton Sinclair

Hemp vs Cotton

Organic Cannabis/Tobacco vs Chemical Cigarettes

Organic aid for cocaine addiction

Pest Control without Pesticides by Bill Baue
Children’s Health Environmental Coalition

Children's Health
An Exploratory Analysis of the Effect of Pesticide Exposure on the Risk of Spontaneous Abortion in an Ontario Farm Population



Leading Edge International Research Group Home Page.
Planetary and Social Paradigm Analysis and Discussion



The hemphasis.net website may be the most complete and concise discussion of industrial hemp on the web. Hemphasis magazine is the only hemp-centered journal currently published (in a print medium) in North America, to our knowledge.

It seems that once a person is informed and educated about hemp, that person doesn't just wish to be a hemp consumer, but actually gets involved in the hemp "movement."
Krista Mikulski

Hemp Information

Chronology of Hemp
A year-by-year march through the history of man's use of hemp.
(Scroll past chart, or click here.)

[DdC]

The HIA

Hemptech

Ganja/hemp lnfolinx

TOP STORIES: Political Commentary



PHYSICIAN'S GUIDE TO PESTICIDE POISONING

Martyrs of Pesticide Poisoning
May they (and we) find justice

Further evidence of Human disregard:
Testing Pesticides on Children

EPA Wants Pesticide Manufacturers To Test On Humans
Under a newly-proposed rule (that will most likely be formally adopted), the EPA would allow pesticide manufacturers to test their products on human "volunteers." The volunteers would include pregnant women and prisoners, as well as newborns and children.

Pesticide Health Effects

Fighting and repelling pests: a long term occupation of Man
Some early research on health effects of pesticides was conducted by the Public Health Service Lead, Arsenic and Human Health Lead Levels among applicators in Wenatchee, Washington

Cancer and Pesticides
* Multiple case control studies have linked various cancers to exposures to pesticides Cohort studies have been less convincing but some are positive Studies continue to find several cancers that appear to be associated with pesticide exposure Key Cancers Are Still Being Looked At



Fear in the Fields

If the war on drugs were really about reducing supply, drug controllers would be promoting hemp. But the war has taken on a life of its own, become an industry unto itself. For example, Congress gives the DEA half a billion dollars a year to eradicate marijuana. But according to the DEA's own figures, 98 percent of the "marijuana" eradicated by its agents or the police departments and National Guard units it hires is hemp-the harmless, feral stuff that escaped during Hemp for Victory days.

"Ditchweed," it's called. That's the "marijuana" you see getting burned in all the photos. If you're caught with ditchweed, you're in big trouble, as Vernon McElroy, 50, discovered in 1991 when he got convicted for possessing 10.9 pounds that he says a friend had picked and given him as a joke. Now he's doing life without parole at the overcrowded maximum-security penitentiary in Springville, Alabama. In Oklahoma, ditchweed is even sprayed with herbicides from helicopters. And last year Congress authorized $23 million for research into a soil-borne fungus that attacks and kills marijuana, poppy, and coca plants.

Mike DeWine (R-OH) calls it a "silver bullet" in the war on drugs, but David Struhs, secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, calls it a threat to the "natural environment.".

Mon$anto'$ WoD on Ditchweed

Monsanto - StLouis Asskrapt-Cliarence & Ditchweed

"As far as the War on Drugs is concerned, they would be better off pulling up goldenrod," said Maslack, who sponsored a successful hemp research bill in 1996. "It is no wonder the DEA is fighting hemp tooth and nail, because that is what their whole campaign is against, in the form of ditchweed. [This] is a great fraud being perpetrated on the American people ... [and] it is high time to reallocate this law enforcement money."

Marijuana Eradication 1982 - 2002



The Ganjawar Comes To The Rez
DEA destruction of the Oglala Sioux project a few months ago was actually feral hemp cultivated on native land from wild seed collected the year before.

S.D. Family Seeks The Right To Grow Hemp



John P Walters (is) America’s New Drug Pusher

Franken Shrub--Bush's Ties to Monsanto

"Monsanto should not have to vouchsafe the safety of biotech food," said Phil Angell, Monsanto's director of corporate communications. "Our interest is in selling as much of it as possible. Assuring its safety is the FDA's job."

Cannabis Eradications 99.28% Ditchweed

Annual Ditchweed Eradication Boondoggle Underway Again

Ganjawarnews: 8-16-4