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Hemp the answer to all the world problems- exteamly viable alternitive to oil.

FinalSolace2

New member
http://www.hemphasis.net/votehemp2a.htm

Hemp: A Complete Food
Hemp seed oil can be used as cooking oil, to be added to hot pastas or mixed with salad dressings. Hemp seed "nut" (that which remains after the removal of the seed shell), may be added to many foods or incorporated in baking, and can withstand temperatures up to 300 degrees without hardening.

Pressed seed cake, or hemp meal (what remains after the oil has been pressed out), can be made into a cooking powder or flour. Hemp meal is also an ideal feed for animals. Recent experiments in Kentucky reveal that hemp-fed cattle require less feed and digest it more efficiently. Hemp seeds are also the preferred seed among birds. It is said to improve the mood of their songs.

Hemp nut is the most nutritious and easily digestible food on the planet, the only complete source of all the following: protein, essential amino acids and essential fatty acids. Hemp is the only food which supplies all man's dietary needs in one source -- the only food which can sustain human life without any other source of nutrition.

Hemp foods contain 35% carbohydrates, 30% fat, 35% fiber, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B6, C, D, and in particular vitamin E, and only 8% saturated fat, or less.

Complete Protein

Hemp contains 25% - 31 % protein, second only to soy (35%), but the protein in hemp foods is more easily digestible, because hemp contains globular proteins, albumin 33% and 65% edistin (a Greek word meaning edible), which have structures very similar to proteins made by the blood, which makes them readily digestible. A handful of hemp seed provides the minimum daily requirement of protein for adults. No other food source provides complete protein in such an easily digestible form, not even soy. Soy protein content is fairly difficult to digest.

Hemp foods contain all eight essential amino acids, Leucine, Lysine, Threoine, Phen+tyro, Valine, Meeth+cyst, Isoleucin, Tryptophan, with higher amounts of each than other main sources of protein, like egg whites, tofu, human milk, and whole cow's milk. Besides these 8 essential amino acids, hemp foods also provides the necessary types and amounts of amino acids the body needs to make serum albumin and serum globulins, two other amino acids essential to life. All of this makes hemp a complete source of protein.

Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs)

EFAs are essential to tissue growth and help regulate many internal functions, which makes consuming them critical. Essential fatty acids are by definition, essential, because they can't be produced by the body, but must be obtained through diet, for proper growth and body functioning.

Hemp has Highest EFA Content

Hemp food (30-35% oil) is the highest in total essential fatty acids, at 80-81% of total oil volume, of any plant and provide the perfect ratio of Omega-6 (around 60%) to Omega-3 (20 %), a 3 to 1 ratio; the ratio recommended by health experts. Hemp nut is the only food item containing every EFA -- including rare stearidonic acid (SDA), and gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), or super Omega-6, which is absent in flax and other major oils. GLA helps treat neurodermatitis, arthritis, and PMS, and together SDA and GLA reduce symptoms of atopic dermatitis and other skin diseases.

EFAs help organ muscles to contract, regulate stomach acid, help lower blood pressure, help maintain body temperature, regulate hormone levels, and break up cholesterol, while aiding in fat transportation and metabolism. The EFAs in hemp also help improve brain function.

EFAs support the immune system and guard against viral infection. Thus, they help cancer, HIV, and other patients whose immune systems are weakened. By reinforcing the immune system, hemp foods help aid in making a person healthy. Health experts have concluded that a diet rich in EFAs is one way to ensure that a person becomes and remains healthy.

Here are the conditions which may be helped by EFAs: addiction, arthritis, attention deficit disorder, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, constipation, diabetes, diarrhea, earache, edema, fatigue, immune deficiency, menopuase, MS, obesity, osteroporosis, premenstrual syndrome, tuberculosis, athersclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and skin conditions such as eczema, neurodermititis, and psoriasis.

EFAs also aid in cardiovascular health, which most Americans could improve upon, help stop sudden cardiac death, help improve mood in bippolar cases, and EFAs also help the reproductive system and should be consumed regularly by all pregnant women, because EFAs are vital to infant development.

Conclusions

Hemp's nutrients are the most important things we can get in our diets, and we Americans are not getting enough. As of now, 90% of Americans do not get enough EFAs into their diet. This is critical because a deficiency in EFAs will result in changes in cell structure (cancer), brittle and dull hair and nails, plus dandruff, allergies and possibly dermatitis.

Hemp foods could help reverse Americans' negative eating habits and make us healthier. Hemp could help us maintain our cholesterol levels while we continue to eat large amounts of animal products. We need EFAs to break down the cholesterol we ingest, so we don't get strokes and heart attacks.

Since hemp is the only food source with all the essential fatty acids, and contains them in perfect proportions (3 to 1, O-6 to O-3), contain all the essential amino acids, and all the protein needed to continue life, it seems silly to ban them. Why ban the most nutritious food source on earth? Seems kind of like a miracle that one food source could contain everything a person needs and in the perfect ratios.

"When you give someone food, you are giving them life, and when you give someone life, you are really giving them love. Therefore, hemp foods provide complete love. Thus, Hemp is Love!"

--Keefe Green






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Hemp as a Fuel / Energy Source
Biodiesel fuel from Hemp Seed Oil

Hemp seed oil can be used as-is in bio-diesel engines. Methyl esters, or bio-diesel, can be made from any oil or fat including hemp seed oil. The reaction requires the oil, an alcohol (usually methanol), and a catalyst, which produces bio-diesel and small amount of glycerol or glycerin. When co-fired with 15% methanol, bio-diesel fuel produces energy 70% cleaner than petroleum diesel.

Energy and Fuel from Hemp Stalks through Pyrolysis

Pyrolysis is the technique of applying high heat to biomass, or organic plants and tree matter, with little or no air. Reduced emissions from coal-fired power plants and automobiles can be accomplished by converting biomass to fuel utilizing pyrolysis technology. The process can produce, from lingo-cellulosic material (like the stalks of hemp), charcoal, gasoline, ethanol, non-condensable gasses, acetic acid, acetone, methane, and methanol. Process adjustments can be done to favor charcoal, pyrolytic oil, gas, or methanol, with 95.5% fuel-to-feed ratios. Around 68% of the energy of the raw biomass will be contained in the charcoal and fuel oils -- renewable energy generated here at home, instead of overpaying for foreign petroleum.

Pyrolysis facilities will run 3 shifts a day, and since pyrolysis facilities need to be within 50 miles of the energy crop to be cost effective, many new local and rural jobs will be created, not to mention the employment opportunities in trucking and transportation.

Hemp vs. Fossil Fuels

Pyrolysis facilities can use the same technology used now to process fossil fuel oil and coal. Petroleum coal and oil conversion is more efficient in terms of fuel-to-feed ratio, but there are many advantages to conversion by pyrolysis.

1) Biomass has a heating value of 5000-8000 BTU/lb, with virtually no ash or sulfur emissions.

2) Ethanol, methanol, methane gas, and gasoline can be derived from biomass at a fraction of the cost of the current cost of oil, coal, or nuclear energy, especially when environmental costs are factored in. Each acre of hemp could yield about 1000 gallons of methanol.

3) When an energy crop is growing, it takes carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air, and releases an equal amount when it is burned, creating a balanced system, unlike petroleum fuels, which only release CO2. When an energy crop like hemp is grown on a massive scale, it will initially lower the CO2 in the air, and then stabilize it at a level lower than before the planting of the energy crop.

4) Use of biomass would end acid rain, end sulfer-based smog, and reverse the greenhouse effect.

Coal

Unlike petroleum reserves, America has enough coal to last 100-300 years, but brning it for electricity puts sulfur - toxic to every membrane in which it comes in contact, especially the simplest life forms - into the air, which leads to acid rain, which lills 50,000 Americans, and 5,000 - 10,000 Canadians, annually, and destroys the forests, river, and animals.

Charcoal can be created from biomass through pyrolysis (charcoaling), which has nearly the same heating value in BTU as coal, virtually without sulfur. Biomass can also be co-fired with coal to reduce emissions.

Ethanol and Methanol

Ethanol is a water-free, high-octane alcohol which can be used as fuel to drive cars. Under current conditions, use of ethanol-blended fuels such as E85 (85% ethanol and 15% gasoline) can reduce net emissions of greenhouse gases by as much as 37.1%. Ethanol-powered vehicles do suffer in performance (barely), but ethanol is effective as a fuel additive because it helps engines burn cleaner.

Once pyrolysis facilities are up and running, converting biomass into charcoal for electrical power plants, it will be more feasible to build the complex gasifying systems to produce ethanol and/or methanol from the cubed biomass, or to make high-octane lead-free gasoline from the methanol using a catalytic process developed by Georgia Tech University in conjunction with Mobil Oil Corporation.

Ethanol is currently being used as a fuel additive, replacing toxic methyl tertiary ether (MTBE). Ethanol producers are currently providing only 1% of America's liquid fuel. Soon though, as new development processes are researched, and with the use of hemp, the plant worlds number one producer of biomass, the cost of this alternative fuel will give petroleum vigorous competition.

Hydrolysis: A process whereby cellulose is converted to fermentable glucose, which holds the greatest promise for production and feedstock, because it could produce 100 gallons/ton. Tim Castleman and the Fuel and Fiber Company are researching this technology. Their method extracts the high-value bast fiber as first step. Then the remaining core material (mostly hurd) is converted to alcohol (methanol, ethanol), and then to glucose. Hydrolysis could produce 300,000 to 600,000 tons of biomass per year per facility, if each facility could process input from 60,000 to 170,000 acres.

Gasification: A form of pyrolysis which converts biomass into synthetic gas, such as ethanol, and low grade fuel oil with an energy content of about 40% that of petroleum diesel. This process is good for community power-corporation and people seeking self-sufficient energy needs. A small modular bio-powered system is in place in the village of Alaminos in the Philippines, using gasification techniques for energy.

Anaerobic Digestion: A process of capturing methane from green waste material (biomass). This process is toxic, but well suited for distributed power generation when co-located with electrical generation equipment.

Boiler: Biomass can also be burned in a boiler, but this energy has a value of $30-50 ton, which makes it impractical due to the higher value of hemp fiber, unless used on a local small scale, and in remote rural applications.

Hemp Produces the Most Biomass of Any Plant on Earth.

Hemp is at least four times richer in biomass/cellulose potential than its nearest rivals: cornstalks, sugarcane, kenaf, trees, etc.

Hemp produces the most biomass of any crop, which is why it is the natural choice for an energy crop. Hemp converts the sun's energy into cellulose faster than any other plant, through photosynthesis. Hemp can produce 10 tons of biomass per acre every four months. Enough energy could be produced on 6% of the land in the U.S. to provide enough energy for our entire country (cars, heat homes, electricity, industry) -- and we use 25% of the world's energy.

To put which in perspective, right now we pay farmers not to grow on 6% (around 90 million acres) of the farming land, while another 500 million acres of marginal farmland lies fallow. This land could be used to grow hemp as an energy crop.

Conclusion

The most important aspect of industrial hemp farming, the most compelling thing hemp offers us, is fuel. Right now we are depleting our reserves of petroleum and buying it up from our Arab enemies. It would be nice if we could have a fuel source which was reusable and which we could grow right here, making us completely energy independent.

Petroleum fuel increases carbon monoxide in the atmosphere and contributes heavily to global warming and the greenhouse effect, which, the EPA has warned, will lead to global catastrophe in the next 50 years if these trends continue. Do you want to find out if they are right, or do you want to grow the most cost effective and environmentally safe fuel source on the planet?

Using hemp as an energy and rotation crop would be a great step in the right direction.



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Hemp Seed Oil
Hemp seed oil has historically been used as lamp oil. It is said to shine the brightest of all lamp oils. Hemp seed oil lit the lamps of Abraham Lincoln, Abraham the prophet, and was used in the legendary lamps of Aladdin.

Anything which can be made from fossil fuels can be made from an organic substance like hemp. Toxic petrochemicals can be replaced with hemp oil.

Hemp oil can be made into anything with an oil base, including paint, varnish, detergent, solvent, and lubricating oil. The advantage of these product is that they are earth friendly and biodegradable, and do not destroy ecosystems around them like petrochemicals do.

Until the 1930s most paint and varnishes were made with non-toxic hemp. Hemp paint provides superior coating because hemp oil soaks into and preserves wood, due to hemp oil's high resistance to water.

Hemp oil is a good base for non-toxic printing inks. Soy is currently made into inks, but soy ink requires more processing and takes longer to dry than hemp oil based inks.



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Hemp Skin Care

Hemp oil is an excellent natural emollient and moisturizer (lotions and cosmetics), because of its Essential Fatty Acid (EFAs) content. EFAs do not clog up pores like saturated fats do. EFAs can be absorbed into the cells, which enables skin cells to comunicate, and repair skin cell membranes resulting in softer, smoother, and more moisturized skin.

Most moisturizing products on the market are made from saturated oils, which are not absorbed by the skin cells, but only coat the surface, but do nothing to prevent further moisture loss.

Skin care products with hemp oil help restore dry and damaged skin, increase the natural moisture retention capacity, while slowing down skin aging. Hemp skin care products are excellent for broken or damaged skin, and are useful for sufferers of eczema, psoriasis, and mastalgia (breast pain).

EFAs also allow hemp hair care products to bring gloss and manageability by relieving dry scalp or hair damage brought on by blow dryers, chemical perms, coloring and sunlight with moisturization. Hemp seed oil provides the proper balance of essential nutrients needed for strong healthy hair. Hair is often damaged and stripped of its natural lipid coating, which makes hair brittle and lack luster. Hemp seed oil helps revitalize the hair shaft, increase volume, elasticity, softness and shine, because its EFAs deeply penetrates your mane.



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Hemp Plastics & Biocomposites
Henry Ford used hemp-and-sisal cellulose plastic to build car doors and fenders in 1941. On video Henry Ford demonstrated that his hemp cars were more resistant to blows from a sledgehammer than steel-bodied cars were.

The basic building block of plastics is cellulose taken from petroleum, but toxic petrochemical compositions are not the only way to derive plastics.

Plastics can be derived from plant cellulose, and since hemp is the greatest cellulose producer on Earth (hemp hurds can be 85% cellulose), it only makes sense to make non-toxic, biodegradable plastic from hemp and other organics, instead of letting our dumps fill up with refuse.

A recent technological advance with biodegradable plastics made from cornstarch has led to a new material based on hemp. Hemp Plastics (Australia) have sourced partners who have been able to produce a new 100% biodegradable material made entirely from hemp and corn. This new material has unique strength and technical qualities which have yet to be seen before, and this new material can be injection or blow-molded into virtually any shape using existing moulds, including cosmetic containers, Frisbee golf discs, etc.

Hemp hurds may be processed into cellophane packing material, which was common until the 1930s, or they may be manufactured into a low-cost, compostable replacement for Styrofoam.

Zellform (Austrian) has created a hemp-plastic resin called Hempstone, for use in musical instruments, loudspeakers, and furniture. This material can be carved into any desired form.

Hemp can also be made into compressed door panel and dashboards. Carmakers such as Ford, GM, Chrysler, Saturn, BMW, Honda, and Mercedes are currently using hemp composite door panels, trunks, head liners, etc.

These composites are less expensive than dangerous fiberglass counterparts. Hemp fiberglass replacements would only cost 50 to 70 cents a pound. These hemp composites could replace carbon and glass fibers, which have environmental and weight problems, and run from 60 cents to 5 dollars a pound.

The reason why virtually all European car makers are switching to hemp based door panels, columns, seat backs, boot linings, floor consoles, instrument panels, and other external componets is because the organic hemp based products are lighter, safer in accidents, recycleable, and more durable.

The possibilities are endless with hemp plastics and resins, and Biocomposites. Virtually any shape and purpose can be fufilled by biocomposite plastics. Just think of the possibilities and realize that biodegradable non-toxic products are always the wisest choice for the future. Buy smart. Buy Hemp.



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Hemp as Paper
Hemp fabric was smashed down into thin sheets to make the worldís first paper. 75-90% of all paper in the world was made with hemp fiber until 1883. The Gutenberg Bible, Thomas Paine's pamphlets, and the novels of Mark Twain were all printed on hemp paper. Both the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence were drafted on hemp, and then copied onto parchment.

Both the long bast fiber and the short bast fiber (hurd or pulp) can be used to make paper. Fiber paper is thin, tough, brittle, and rough. Pulp paper is not as strong, but is easier to make, softer, thicker, and preferable for most everyday purposes.

In the next 20-30 years the paper demand is suppose to at least double due to the economic emergence of third world countries, and the ever-expanding worldwide population. There is no way to meet this demand without clear-cutting every tree in the entire world. Paper is big business, and 93% of the world's paper is made of wood.

Hemp Pulp vs. Tree Pulp for Paper

Making paper from trees is kind of a joke, because trees are made up of only 30% cellulose. The other 70% of the tree must be removed using toxic chemicals, until the cellulose can be formed into paper. The higher the percentage of cellulose in a plant, the better, because fewer chemicals need to be used, and less work needs to be done before the paper can be made. Almost any plant in nature with a strong stalk is better suited to make paper than trees, especially hemp because it can be 85% cellulose.

Hemp makes paper stronger and which lasts centuries longer than wood paper, which could be very valuable for people who want to keep records aside from on computers. Hemp paper does not yellow, crack, or otherwise deteriorate like tree paper does now. The acids which are needed for wood paper eventually eat away at the pulp and cause it to turn yellow and fall apart. Because of this publishers, libraries, and archives have to order specially processed acid free paper, but they could just buy hemp paper which already meets their quality standards.

Hemp paper also does not require any bleaching, and so does not poison the water with dioxins or chlorine like tree paper mills do. The chemicals involved in making hemp paper are much less toxic, in fact, both paper made from hemp hurd, and from the long bast fiber can be made without any chemicals at all, but it takes longer to separate the fiber from the lignin. Making paper from hemp could also eliminate erosion due to logging, reduces topsoil loss, and water pollution caused by soil runoff.

One acre of hemp can produce as much paper as 4 to 10 acres of trees over a 20-year cycle, but hemp stalks only take four months to mature, whereas trees take 20 to 80 years. This information was known in 1916, according to a USDA report. Hemp paper can also be recycled more often, though this fact is not of much value, since hemp is a reusable resource.

Deforestation

Since 1937, when hemp was effectively outlawed, 70% of American natural forests have been destroyed. Today, only 4% of Americaís old-growth forest remains standing, and there is talk of building roads into that for logging purposes! Hemp growing could completely negate the necessity to use wood at all because anything made from wood can be made from hemp.

The plant kenaf is better suited than hemp for making some qualities of paper, but hemp has one huge advantage, hemp generates an immense amount of plant matter in a four month growing season. Plants like Kenaf just cannot produce enough plant material to make enough paper for what the world demand is and will soon become, making hemp the only organic paper which makes sense. If hemp farming were only geared toward papermaking, it would still be a giant move to improve the planet.

Germany's largest paper company converted two mills to hemp-based paper production, even though large mills require 40-60% of the equipment to be retooled to switch to hemp based paper. Hemp paper is the one area of the possible hemp market that would require a lot of equipment change, but the need exists to change the equipment, or we will not be left with any more trees for shade, scenery, and good old-fashioned air. The construction costs to convert our paper mills from tree-based paper to hemp is around $100-300 million, which would at the same time open doors for new jobs and opportunities to build new equipment.

The reason for these equipment changes lies in the fact that the hemp fiber is so strong. The chains of cellulose molecules are arranged as a rigid structure glued together by the lignin, which must be separated before the fiber can be arranged into paper.

Hemp currently makes up around .05% of the world annual pulp production volume at around 120,000 tons/year because importation costs result in prices which are 2-3 times that of tree paper, but Living Tree Paper Company out of Oregon is starting to make headways. There paper, which is 10% hempflax & 90% post-consumer waste, is now being sold in 1,000 Staples stores across the country. Next time you need paper for your computer, choose the paper which is friendly to the environment. One of Living Tree Paper Company's slogans is, "The paper you choose says as much about you as the image you print on it."



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Hemp Building Materials
Hemp can be made into any building material, including fiberboard, roofing, flooring, wallboard, caulking, cement, paint, paneling, particleboard, plaster, plywood, reinforced concrete, insulation, insulation panels, spray-on insulation, concrete pipes, bricks, and biodegradable plastic composites which are tougher than steel.

Foundations can be made out of hemp hurds, a processed based on ancient technology adapted for modern use. To do this, set up a plywood frame (preferably hemp plywood), then fill with a mixture of hemp hurd (wood chip-like substance) and combine with lime, sand, plaster, some cement, and enough water to dampen, and let the mixture set for a day. Then take the frame down, but let the mixture continue to harden for about a week. The lime and the hurds create a chemical reaction which binds the mixture together. Amazingly these structures continue to get harder and stronger everyday until they fossilize, as is testament by a 6th century hemp-reinforced bridge in France. After this happens, the hemp foundation walls are as strong as stone.

Hemp foundation walls are 7 times stronger than concrete foundations, half as light, and three times as elastic, which means that these building will bend, but not break. Because of their superior strength and flexibility, hemp foundations are resistant to stress-induced cracking and breaking. Even earthquakes and other natural disaster cannot break or crack these structures.

Hemp foundation homes and buildings are self-insulated, including thermal and sound insulation, resistant to rotting, rodents, insects, and they are fire proof, waterproof, weather resistant, and the walls breath so the rooms do not get stuffy. Hemp homes stay warm in the winter, and cool in the summer.

If hemp were legal in the United States, it would be the cheapest source of raw material for concrete-like foundations. Plus hemp hurds can be processed in existing wood mills without major changes to the equipment. Hemp-foundation homes are ecologically appropriate because they are inexpensive, and can be prepared on site using only a cement mixer, and the material would be cheap and abundant.

Foundation floors can be made in much the same way as the foundation. Hemp resists seepage, and so hemp cement is applicable for pouring onto a soil base to make a foundation floor. The floor insulation hardens into a solid mass which will not shift under pressure.

A German company produces a product called Mehabit, a hemp hurd substance covered with coal-based bitumen, which is sticky, and when leveled out on a hemp cement floor, will dry to form a thermally and phonetically insulated floor.

Washington State University has produced hemp fiberboard is lighter, twice as strong, and three times as elastic as wood fiberboard, plus it has sound proofing and pressure isolative characteristics absent from wood fiberboard. These composites are also resistant to pests, moisture, and funguses.

The process involves chipping the hemp stalk, bonding it together with resins and glues, and clamping it down into molds under high pressure until it hardens.

Concrete pipes can be made out of hemp fiber which cost 1/3 that of polypropylene. These pipes have greater flexibility, greater elasticity, and are resistant to cracking.

Stones can also be made out of hemp by wetting the stalk's cellulose, and forming it into a hard black rock, which can be cut, drilled, cast, carved, or formed into any shape.

Hemp building material could allow us to replace the need for wood, bricks, and fiberglass insulation.

Germany and France are using hemp for construction material, replacing drywall and plywood. A French company has built over 250 homes using hemp materials. Hemp homes have also been built on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Using hemp is economically smart and ecologically appropriate, plus the homes built with hemp are as hard as stone and are not subject to natural disaster. Wow, sounds kind of like a miracle, doesn't it? What are we waiting for?


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Hemp helps detoxify and regenerate the soil
Falling leaves and shrubs not used in processing fall to the ground and replenish the soil with nutrients, nitrogen, and oxygen. This rich organic mulch promotes the development of fertile grassland. Some of the carbon which is "breathed" in by the plant in the form of CO2 is left in the roots and crop residues in the field. The CO2 is broken down by photosynthesis into carbon and oxygen, with oxygen being aspirated back into the atmosphere. With each season more CO2 is reduced from the air and added to the soil.

Hemp roots absorb and dissipate the energy of rain and runoff, which protects fertilizer, soil, and keeps seeds in place. Hemp plants slow down the velocity of runoff by absorbing moisture. By creating shade, hemp plants moderate extreme variations in temperatures, which conserves moisture in the soil. Hemp plants reduce the loss of topsoil in windy conditions. Hemp plants also loosen the earth for subsequent crops

Hemp plants can even pull nuclear toxins from the soil. In fact hemp was planted near and around the Chernobyl nuclear disaster site to pull radioactive elements from the ground. The process is called phyto-remediation, which means using plants (phyto) to clean up polluted sites. Phyto-remediation can be used to remove nuclear elements, and to clean up metals, pesticides, solvents, crude oil, and other toxins from landfills. Hemp breaks down pollutants and stabilizes metal contaminants by acting as a filter. Hemp is proving to be one of the best phyto-remediative plants found.

The minimum benefit of a hemp crop is in its use as a rotation crop. Since hemp stabilizes and enriches the soil farmers grow crops on, and provides them with weed-free fields, without cost of herbicides, it has value even if no part of the plant is being harvested and used. Any industry or monetary benefit beyond this value is a bonus. Rotating hemp with soy reduces cyst nematodes, a soy-decimating soil parasite, without any chemical input. Hemp could be grown as a rotation crop and not compete with any other food crops for the most productive farmland. Marginal lands make fine soil for hemp, or hemp can be grown in between growing seasons.




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Hemp and the Environment
All hemp products are completely biodegradable, recyclable, and hemp is a reusable resource in every aspect: pulp, fiber, protein, cellulose, oil, or biomass.

Hemp can grow in any agronomic system, in any climate, and requires no herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, or insecticides to grow well. Hemp is its own fertilizer, its own herbicide (it is a weed), and its own pesticide. Hemp plants only need 10-13 inches of water, 1/3 of the amount which cotton requires, to grow to 8-12 feet in 3-4 months.

Using hemp as biomass fuel would also reduce global warming because the hemp energy crop would pull carbon from the air and realease an equal amount when burned, instead of just releasing carbon as petrolium gasoline does now.

Using hemp biomass to make charcoal, could eliminate the need to burn petrolium coal. Hemp biomass burns with virtually no sulfur emissions or ash, which minimize acid rain caused by the burning of coal.

Deforestation is a big problem. Keeping trees alive and standing is necessary to our oxygen supply, and our well being. Trees provide the infrastructure which keeps microbes, insects, plants, fungi, etc. alive. The older and bigger the tree, the better for the environment it is. The more trees there are, the more oxygen is in the air, which helps reduce global warming.

Hemp growing could completely eradicate the necessity to use wood at all because anything made from wood can be made from hemp, especially paper. The paper demand is suppose to double in next 25 years, and we simply cannot meet this demand without clear-cutting all of our forest. Using hemp for paper could reduce deforestation by half. An acre of hemp equals at least 4 acres of trees annually. Hemp paper can be recycled 7 to 8 times, compared with only 3 times for wood pulp paper. Hemp paper also does not need to be bleached with poisonous dioxins, which poison waterways.

Carpets made from nylon, polyester, and polypropylene contaminate ground water. Hemp carpet is biodegradable and safe for the ground water when it is discarded. In 1993, carpet made up 1% of solid waste, and 2% of waste by volume.

Our garbage facilities are overfilling with plastics. Hemp can make plastics which are biodegradable.

Petrochemicals lubricants, paints, sealants, etc., poison the ground when they are discarded. Hemp can replace all of these petroleum-based products with non-toxic biodegradable organic oil-based products.



"Why use the forests which were centuries in the making and the mines which required ages to lay down, if we can get the equivalent of forest and mineral products in the annual growth of the fields?"
--Henry Ford


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Hemp and the Economy
Hemp has well over 50,000 industrial uses; many of which are discussed in this paper. We believe that if hemp were legal to grow in America, it would have a positive rippling effect on the economics of this country. Hemp has an estimated $500 billion worldwide market, because anything made from trees, cotton or petroleum can be made from hemp, and usually better.

Reader's Digest and Popular Mechanics in 1938 hailed hemp as the first billion-dollar crop. In America alone, the hemp industry has grown from $5 million in 1990, to $50 million in 1995, to about half a billion dollars in 2002. The clothing industry has picked up on the usefulness of hemp cloth. Walt Disney Co, Esprit, Calvin Klein, Adidas, and Vans are all importing hemp for cloths and shoes. Many designers are calling hemp the "fabric of the decade".

Hundreds of businesses are selling imported hemp products in the U.S. Why should all the profits go overseas, when hemp can be grown and processed right here in America?

Because hemp is heavy and bulky, it must be processed within 50 miles of harvest to be cost-effective, which would create thousands of processing, transportation, and manufacturing jobs, plus jobs for local processing centers and jobs in small weaving factories, seed crushing facilities, and pulp mills. This is exactly what is needed as globalization has swept over America and sent all the labor opportunities overseas, and American farmers are left with weak topsoil, polluted waterways, and clear-cut forests.

Industrial hemp could save South Dakota family farms, ending corporate takeover and the continued shrinkage of family farms. Industrial hemp could bring rural production of food, clothing, shelter, and energy back to local populations.

Capitalism is defined as the freedom to exchange value for value. If an industry producing a product in demand can't deliver the product at affordable prices, another producer may come along and replace it freely without interference. How free are we in this country when we cannot even grow and trade the most useful plant on Earth?

America gives huge subsidies to oil and logging industries, which encourages wastefulness and discourages conservation. We say, no more subsidies to industries which pollute and power the world. Instead of keeping these huge mineral corporations strong, we need to help regular folks, and instead of globalization, what we need is import substitution. Why not grow hemp, which is versatile, agronomical, and requires local processing? Why not maintain resources and distribute wealth along the most idealistic lines of capitalism?

Hemp farming would lessen pollution and overuse of land. Ideal hemp farming is not aimed at maximum output for short-term production at the expense of long term viability. Hemp provides quality, durability, and productivity. This is the kind of responsible economics which is needed to see us to a new tomorrow.

By buying natural organic foods and products which can help stop the destruction of our world, our ozone, our waters, our forests, our air, and our soil, individuals can make a difference. Since hemp products are the most environmentally-friendly products available, it makes sense that the market for these items will grow. You can do your part, too. Vote to re-legalize industrial hemp in South Dakota on Nov 5, and buy products from the eco-friendly advertisers in this magazine.

There are niches for hemp in the following applications:

Absorbents: Animal bedding, cat litter, hydrocarbon absorbent, manure-nitrogen absorbent. The Queen of England and practically every thoroughbred race horse stable in Kentucky uses hemp hurds for bedding, because they are more absorbent than wood shavings and compost faster, and the horses prefer it. Hemp is also used in oil spill cleanup.

Oil: Paints, varnishes lubricating oil, sealants, industrial cleaner which removes oil from textiles, detergent, solvent, and printing inks.

Fuel: Bio-diesel, methanol, ethanol, gasoline, coal; for heating, cooking, industry, automobiles, and electricity. Hemp as a biomass fuel producer requires the least-specialized growing and processing procedures of all hemp products. Hemp-based methanol and ethanol could compete with petroleum-based fuels because hemp yields so much biomass. The United States Department of Energy predicts that by 2010, over 13,000 megawatts of biomass power could be installed, with over 40% of the fuel supplied from 4 million acres of energy crops (like hemp) and the remainder from biomass residues.

It's estimated that around 80% of living expenses goes toward energy, including transportation, heating, cooking, lighting, etc. Millions of new clean jobs could be created using hemp biomass instead of our constantly dwindling and environmentally dangerous petroleum. Industrial hemp just wants a piece of the 80% energy pie. It's unfair not to include the most cost-effective and environmentally-safe energy source. It is downright stupid, costly and dangerous for industrial hemp to be illegal.

Accessories: Back packs, beanies, bags, belts, briefcases, caps, checkbook covers, gloves, guitar straps, hair ties, jewelry, luggage, scarves, shoe laces, shoes, cots, ties, wallets, change bags, dog leashes, ect.

Animal Care: beds, bedding, feed, leashes, collars, fish bait, treats. Hempseeds have historically been the birdseed of choice for most birds. Birds will pick hempseeds out and eat them first from a pile of mixed seed. Birds in the wild live longer and breed more with hempseed in their diet. Horses, cows, and chickens respond well to hemp based diet, made from crushed hemp seed shells. They require less feed and they digest it more efficiently, unlike corn, which is fed to cattle, even though it causes digestion problems. Then they give the cows antibiotics in such supply that humans who eat the beef slowly become immune to the aid of antibiotics.

Apparel: Bathrobes, dresses, jackets, jeans, lingerie, overalls, pants, shirts, shorts, skirts, suits, sweaters, t-shirts, baby cloths, hats, gloves, socks, etc.

Foods: Nutritional supplements, beer, breads, burgers, cheese, chips, chocolate bars, coffee, cookies, dry mixes: cake, cookie, pancake, pizza dough, energy bars, flour, powder, hummus, ice cream, lollipops, nut butter, oil, paste, pretzels, salad dressings, soda, tea, wine, tortillas. Dozens of new companies are springing up in Canada selling hemp foods, nature's best food source. As it becomes more and more important to be healthy in America, health foods will continue to rise in popularity, and the same is to be expected from the best food source as well, hemp.

Cosmetics: Aromatherapy mists, hair shampoo & conditioners, lip balms, lotions, body creams, massage oils, perfume, salves, soaps, lipstick. Cosmetic sales in hemp have continued to grow since The Body Shop opened their line a few years back. Revlon opened a new line of hemp-based cosmetics in Spring 2002 available at Targets and Wal-marts.

Housewares: Aprons, blankets, curtains, furniture, hammocks, potholders, pillows, placemats, napkins, toilet paper, tablecloths, towels, etc.

Biocomposites: Biodegradable plastics and fibergalss, Hempstone, and PVC pipes.

Building materials: Fiberboard, roofing, flooring, wallboard, caulking, cement, paint, paneling, particleboard, plaster, plywood, reinforced concrete, insulation, insulation panels, spray on insulation, concrete pipes, bricks, etc. The hemp insulation industry has grown because hemp insulation is easier to handle than its fiberglass counterparts, and provides better sound insulation.

Paper: Art papers, bond, bookmarks, books, cigarette papers, corrugated, cardboard, envelopes, invitations, journals, magazines, postcards, posters, stationery, etc.

Sports Equipment: Frisbees, hackie sacks, skateboards, snowboards, surfboards.

Textiles: Hand woven & mill-loomed fabric, canvas, various weights & textures, colors, patterns, stripes & plaids, knits, furnishing services, non woven fabrics, carpet, twine, cordage, yarn, etc. Hemp rope has been valued throughout history for its superior strength and resistance to mildew and rot.

Other: Fertilizer, soil amendment, dolls, candles, coffee filters, drums, picture frames, teddy bears, toys, motor vehicle brake and clutch pads.

International treaties, such as NAFTA and GATT, recognize hemp as a valid agricultural crop. Isn't it time that the U.S. do the same (and quit violating treaties to which it is a signatory)?

If introduced into third-world nations biomass could drastically cut our overseas aid and reasons for war, while raising the quality of life and providing food, shelter, clothing, and energy to 3rd world peoples. New non-polluting industries will spring up everywhere. The world economy will boom.

Imagine. . . waking up in your hemp foundation home, with hemp shingles, a hemp floor platform, painted with environmentally safe hemp paint, nice and cool on a hot summer day due to the breathability of hemp. Then you walk on your hemp carpet down to the bathroom, insulated with hemp plywood and prepare for your morning shower, using hemp soap, which helps rebuild your cell membranes, then rinsing your hair with hemp shampoo and conditioner, and putting on your hemp lotion to soften and moisturize your skin. Then imagine using hemp toothpaste and hemp composite toothbrush to brush your teeth, a hemp plastic biodegradable hemp comb to brush your hair, and doing the morning laundry with environmentally safe hemp detergent. Then you go and put on you hemp cloths, which are so soft and comfortable. Then you go into the kitchen and have a big bowl of hemp granola with hemp milk. Then you get in your hemp composite car and drive down to the local gas pump where you fill up with hemp ethanol. Then imagine using a hemp paper checkbook, with a hemp plastic cover, and a hemp plastic pen filled with hemp ink to pay for the fuel, a hemp soda and some hemp chips.

All of this --and so much more-- is possible, while benefitting our environment. Let us no longer prohibit the most useful plant from being grown by the strongest country, or we may find that we are no longer the strongest country. Re-legalize industrial hemp; it's simply common sense.
 

agent 420

Member
TONS of great info Final Solace!

I was only aware of a few uses for hemp. You coverd much more I never knew about.

Its really amazing all the things you can do with it

Its even more amazing/crazy/idiotic that its not legal in the U.S. considering it can't even get you high

People should push for the legalization of hemp just as much cannabis.
 

FinalSolace2

New member
hemp is cannabis.

i think it is even more important hemp is legalised than marijuana. once hemp is out in the open as the future single most sustainable source of everything in the history of man, then marijuana will be recognised and not brutally supressed because corporate america- i.e the rich people in charge who would lose the buisnesses that cause war and exploitation and fund their greedy stupid status driven lives.

since hemp needs to be processed quickly from harvest it would prevent multinational control and put hemp in the hands of local farmers in a potential booming 500 billion dollar industry.

hemp was prohibited just before we was learning about its secrets- by those industry heads and tycoons that blamed hemp for causing many of the fabricated ethnic minority problems invloving hispanics and black that were damn right racist, in a court of law but the motion still passed in the name of greed, control, racism and exploitation.

if we want to overgrow the world everyone should buy an acre of land and grow hemp- a garunteed money source.
it is by far one of- if not thee most resiliant crop on the face of the earth.

http://www.hemp-union.karoo.net/main.htm
 
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FinalSolace2

New member
Your Government Is Lying To You (Again) About Marijuana - An Updated Refutation of the Drug Czar's "Open Letter to America's Prosecutors"

*snip*

NORML’s report publicly addresses an ‘open letter’ to America’s prosecutors (dated November 1, 2002) from the White House’s Scott Burns, Deputy Director for State and Local Affairs for the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). In the letter, Burns insisted, "Nationwide, no drug matches the threat posed by marijuana," and urged law enforcement officials to "aggressively prosecute" marijuana violators. The ONDCP's letter, filled with half-truths and outright lies regarding marijuana's alleged dangers, purposely misrepresented the available research in an attempt to justify federal and state policies that result in the arrest of more than 650,000 Americans annually on minor marijuana possession charges.

Since then, the White House’s anti-marijuana propaganda campaign has continued to take on an increasingly alarmist and extremist tone, arguably crossing over any reasonable line of probity. The Bush Administration’s latest rhetoric does not qualify as mere exaggeration; they are flat-out lying to the American public about marijuana.

*snip*

NORML believes there is nothing to be gained by exaggerating claims of marijuana’s harms. On the contrary, by overstating marijuana’s potential risk, America's policy-makers and law enforcement community undermine their credibility and ability to effectively educate the public of the legitimate harms associated with more dangerous drugs. In addition, exaggerating the dangers associated with the responsible use of marijuana results in the needless arrest of hundreds of thousands of good, productive citizens each year in this country. We cannot remain silent and permit this taxpayer-funded propaganda to occur without a challenge, and we encourage all concerned citizens to refer to this report for the truth and science regarding marijuana and marijuana policy.

*snip*

its not about marijuana but the threat the plant poses itself to american governmental power.

NORML believes there is nothing to be gained by exaggerating claims of marijuana’s harms.

no there is-

its becuase marijuana is of the same plant species as hemp

if hemp ever becomes popular it will destroy synthetic nylons, cotton and silk.

produce an alternitive to fossil fuel, that is 10 times as efficiant than crude oil.

and put the loggers and lumberjack out of buisness- and convert them all to hemp farmers.

torrent on hemp
http://...9561&query=hemp

plus due to the hemp needing to be processed locally for export as raw materials the government cant control hemp in a governmental monopoly, giving full power and beneficiary scope to the local farmers.

a 500 billion dollar industry that is in the hands of the people and not the greedy and not the basis for wars. plus emitting no greenhouse gasses as bio-fuel gasolene that is cheaper than normal oil and can easily be produced in far more quantity annually. (as its an annual crop)

the government has alot to fear... everything to lose.

plus the fasion industry has labled hemp as the greatest fabric of the centuary.
 

I.M. Boggled

Certified Bloomin' Idiot
Veteran
I advocate a rebirth of the Hemp industry In the U.S.

I advocate a rebirth of the Hemp industry In the U.S.

But let me play the farmers "devils advocate" here...

The Argument Against Hemp Paper...

Detractors of the agricultural production of annual fiber from hemp farms are just as vocal as farmed fiber advocates.
Their own reasoning is that hemp farming is very demanding on the environment and would negate any possible benefits ascribed to it.
It would be cost prohibitive when compared to silvicultural production of fiber.
[silvicultural= The care and cultivation of forest trees.']


Any annual crop demands a period of establishment and reestablishment, during which the site has to be intensely cultivated and treated for weeds and pests.
This has to be repeated until the crop is properly established and done on an annual basis for crops like flax, wheat, cotton, or hemp.
Most tree species, even if grown on a fast rotation, would mean less site disturbance and have much less need for chemicals; Trees are more forgiving of site preparation, chemical support, and revisits after planting.


Large areas of cultivated fields would be necessary.
This would, in itself, mean clearing land of trees and would comprise the best land in terms of fertility and topography.
Irrigation would be come necessary in some areas for best production. Tending hemp would be expensive and would compete for land and other resources.

Dr. Patrick Moore writing on the subject on his web site Greenspirit indicates that "at least twice as much nutrient must be available in an easily assimilable form as will finally be removed from the soil by the leaf-free harvest".
Hemp is a nutrient sponge.
Crop rotation and the added expense of stripping leaves and flowers would be the desired method of nutrient replacement.
All this adds to increased disturbance of the site, the addition of either manure crops or chemical nutrients, and an increase in per acre expense.

The last little kink in the use of hemp for fiber is a significant concern called cost.
According to Austrialia's NAFI and Heike Von Der Lancken , "hemp pulp costs $2,500 per ton as compared to $400 per ton for typical bleached wood pulp." This would create the need for another farm subsidy to make costs match.


Valerie Vantreese, University of Kentucky's Department of Agricultural Economics, has written a very concise abstract based on a paper called International Hemp: Global Markets and Prices .
In the abstract she suggests that world hemp production is "dramatically" down from the early 1980's and is dominated by low-cost producers; China, India, and Russia produce 70% of the world supply.

Multinational fiber companies (Weyerhauser, Masonite, International Paper) interested in hemp as a source are well prepared to go to those locations to do business if there is a profit to be made.

Market risk to the US farmer (if he were allowed to grow hemp) may be prohibitive because of these cheaper international growers.

http://forestry.about.com/sitesearch.htm?terms=hemp&SUName=forestry&TopNode=3262&type=1

Hemp paper versus newspaper
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?p=250903#post250903

Sioux Indians vs. DEA ( industrial hemp) The Drug War Comes to the Rez

Regarding Hemp Cultivation on American Indian Reservations:]
"
I think it's federal double-speak or forked tongues.
The federal government likes to support the sovereignty of Indian tribes when we talk about nuclear-waste dumps and casinos and toxic-waste dumps, but doesn't support their sovereignty when they try to do something which is absolutely healthy, sustainable development with grassroots initiatives."
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=16628

HEMP: "Historical Cultivation Practices",
From the 1881 Household Cyclopedia:
http://icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?p=266067#post266067
 
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"Hemp is a nutrient sponge.
Crop rotation and the added expense of stripping leaves and flowers would be the desired method of nutrient replacement.
All this adds to increased disturbance of the site, the addition of either manure crops or chemical nutrients, and an increase in per acre expense."

When it is harvested only the stalks are taken, the leaves and flowers which hold most of the nutrients are left on the field. Hemp needs relatively small amounts of additional fertilizers.

"The last little kink in the use of hemp for fiber is a significant concern called cost.
According to Austrialia's NAFI and Heike Von Der Lancken , "hemp pulp costs $2,500 per ton as compared to $400 per ton for typical bleached wood pulp." This would create the need for another farm subsidy to make costs match."

This must be due to the fact that the hemp industry is relatively young and inestablished (or should I say in terms of a comeback at least), they can't compete with the volume of business done by the wood industry. Hemp makes a higher quality paper and uses signifigantly less chemicals to process, so where is the extra cost?

Cotton cultivation accounts for 1/2 of all pesticides used in the US.

Hemp fiber produces cloth that is as soft as natural silk, and more durable than cotton canvas, hemp canvas is what sails used to be made of and is what the first pairs of levi jeans were made of.

"Large areas of cultivated fields would be necessary.
This would, in itself, mean clearing land of trees and would comprise the best land in terms of fertility and topography.
Irrigation would be come necessary in some areas for best production. Tending hemp would be expensive and would compete for land and other resources."

The products that can be made of hemp are endless, Hemp is more efficient at making usable fiber than trees or cotton, Replacing these crops with hemp will result in more productivity from the land, with less environmental impact (less fertilizer, less chemicals for processing pulp, less pesticides and herbicides)

"Any annual crop demands a period of establishment and reestablishment, during which the site has to be intensely cultivated and treated for weeds and pests."

Hemp is a "weed" it grows up, creates a canopy, and blocks light from hitting the ground below, which keeps weeds from growing.

Basically, I believe that Article is bunk, and twisting the information. You can find facts to support any claim, it doesn't mean that they have substance.
 

I.M. Boggled

Certified Bloomin' Idiot
Veteran
But let me play the farmers "devils advocate" here...


HEMP: "Historical Cultivation Practices",
From the 1881 Household Cyclopedia:
http://www.icmag.com/ic/search.php?searchid=349946

In order to render the grounds proper for the reception of the crop, they should be reduced into a fine mellow state of mould, and be perfectly cleared from weeds, by repeated ploughings. When it succeeds grain crops, the work is mostly accomplished by three ploughings, and as many harrowings: the first being given immediately after the preceding crop is removed, the second early in the spring, and the last, or seed earth, just before the seed is to be put in. In the last ploughing, well rotted manure, in the proportion of fifteen or twenty, or good compost, in the quantity of twenty-five or thirty-three horse-cart loads, should be turned into the land; as without this it is seldom that good crops can be produced. The surface of the ground being left perfectly flat, and as free from furrows as possible; as by these means the moisture is more effectually retained, and the growth of the plants more fully promoted.
That's a lot of work and a lot of Bullshit. :D (cow manure ;) :D )
That's a pun, sun. :)
This sort of crop is frequently cultivated on the same piece of ground for a great number of years, without any other kind intervening; but, in such cases, manure must be applied with almost every crop, in pretty large proportions, to prevent the exhaustion that must otherwise take place. It may be sown after most sorts of grain crops, especially where the land possesses sufficient fertility, and is in a proper state of tillage.
Back then, If they wanted good yields, they did the whole regimen, but lazy men grew it too I'm sure, although theirs would not be of as prime quality as the properly cultivated specimens.
As hemp, from its tall growth and thick foliage, soon covers the surface of the land, and prevents the rising of weeds, little attention is necessary after the seed has been put into the ground, especially where the broadcast method of sowing is practised; but, when put in by the drill machine, a hoeing or two may be had recourse to with advantage in the early growth of the crop.

Value added products such as Hemp/straw blend stucturally integrated paneling (S.I.P.) is one of the big industries waiting to happen in this country.
Plywood if you will.
(The independent farmers of the world) will just have a bit more creative, value added product wise, than the competition to gain market share, nothing new.
Many farming communities are chomping at the bit to get involved in this industry.
See my link above regarding the Sioux tribe on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakotas attempt at starting up a local self reliance industry and the repression they are boldly facing..



:)
 
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http://www.pottv.com/archive/shows/pottvshowse-3321.html

That is a really interesting video on hemp, I enjoyed watching it.


Don't Worry Boggled, I knew you were playing the devils advocate

A professor I had a few semesters ago does a lot of work at the Pine Ridge reservation. I almost got involved with a renewable energy project they were trying to get going, I believe it had something to do with manufacturing Solar or maybe PV cells.
 

FinalSolace2

New member
hemp has been growing for 5000 years- what the hell is that crap posted further above- more like government propergander- maybe a study undertaked by people who want to debunk hemps good use.

maybe it was done in the 1970,s and 80's when propergader was at fever pitch, canada has set up more than 175,000 acres of hemp growing land since 2002, it must be double that by now.
 
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