thc-free weed?

[r0t8]

http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/06/20/nocannabis.shtml

Russian Scientists Claim to Invent Drug-Free Cannabis, Suggest it to Replace Wild Cannabis Worldwide

Scientists from the Russian city of St. Petersburg have announced they had managed to develop a new, drug-free variant of cannabis which, if grown on industrial level, would cross with wild growing hemp end eventually force it out of existence.

Russia’s Interfax news agency quoted Sergei Grigoryev of the Russian Plant Institute as saying that the amount of psychotropic substance in the new variant of cannabis is practically zero. When the new plant is crossed with the wild growing hemp the amount of psychotropic substance in the latter will gradually become less and less. If Russian hemp is grown on industrial level, it could even force the cannabis that is used for making hashish and marijuana out of existence.

The active substance in cannabis, thujone, creates Atrial natriuretic peptides which stimulates the consequent reactions in the body.

The medical controversy of cannabis lies in the potential harmful versus helpful effects. As a professionally administered drug, cannabis has been used in alleviating pain for cancer patients, helps to stimulate appetites of HIV afflicted persons, relieving inflammation of the gastro-intestinal tract, and is known to open up the blood vessels improving circulation among its various proclaimed benefits. In conjunction with its benefits are the risks it subjects users to, among those being muscular attributes given to schizophrenics, muscular incoordination, dizziness, difficulty concentrating, confusion, difficulty walking, dysarthria, dry mouth, dysphagia, blurred vision, and vomiting most of all, as with opening up the blood vessels can produce the condition of excess blood volume which results in comas and cardiac arrest, leading to death.

The scientist went on to say that hemp is one of the oldest agricultural plants with 10 thousand-year history and at present it is “unjustly” associated with drugs like marijuana. Hemp must be used to make traditional fibers and oil, Grigoriyev said.

[J. Phoenix]

Guess I'd better start saving seeds again.

You know, the funny thing about that, it that hemp has a negligible amount of THC to begin with, and even grows differently than what you would consider marijuana. The qualities you want in hemp are long stalky plants with minimal leaf cover, so the fibers run long. A marijuana plant conversely should be an unfertilized female plant, kept short and busy, from a strain with a high THC content. Same basic plant, different cultivation for different purposes reduces/enhances the qualities you wish to achieve.

In Holland they discovered that growing hemp for industrial purposes actually had a negative effect on marijuana growers (which is still prohibited); the pollen for the hemp would fertilize marijuana crops growing outside and reduce their potency. Growers had to switch to indoor solutions.

So, (this horrifying Russian strain aside) if the US Government wanted to save a lot of money it spends spraying hemp with RoundUp all over the States, it could just legalize hemp cultivation. The US would benefit from the agricultural/industrial industry it would create overnight by allowing it. The pollen would force growers to move indoors, which makes it easier to catch them in several ways.

But honestly, they should just legalize both of them. Like the scientist says, its one of our oldest agricultural plants, with a very long history...why not allow it to be used and take advantage of its benefits?

[redshirttheory]

conservatives will still be against this for some reason.. whats the point if you dont get a buzz from it?

[Nathan McWaters]

conservatives will still be against this for some reason.. whats the point if you dont get a buzz from it?


To make rope from it instead. THC-null hemp would remove the only barrier against legalization of the hemp industry as a full economic/agricultural power. It wouldn't be the first time an issue of benefit vs. harm was skirted around (hemlock comes to mind), though this would be quite the piece of agricultural engineering to globally obliterate THC-bearing hemp strains through eugenic sabotage.

It's probably too ambitious a plan, but if it works. . .I won't miss it anyway. :p