Why Can’t Hemp Get You High?

English: An outdoor hemp plantation in the UK. This particular varietal of Cannabis sativa is “industrial hemp” which contains ultra-low levels of Delta-THC and other cannabinoids, which makes it useless for recreational/medicinal purposes. Deutsch: Eine Nutzhanfplantage in Großbritannien. Diese spezielle Sorte von Cannabis sativa ist “Industriehanf” welche nur sehr wenig Delta-THC und andere Cannabinoide bildet, welche ihne nutzlos für die Medizinische und Vermehrung macht. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Erik G | The 420 Times | AlterNet | July  31, 2013

 

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The domestic and industrial use of the hemp plant dates back as far as 8000 BCE when hemp cord was used to create pottery. Even today more than 30 countries throughout the world cultivate the plant in order to process its beneficial fiber and seeds.

But can the same stuff that’s used to make everything from backpacks to bong-cozies get you high in the same manner as its psychoactive, THC-rich cousin?

Even though the plant genus Cannabis is generally considered as a single species (CannabisSativa L.), hemp that has been bred for industrial and commercial dedications doesn’t possess the high levels of the major psychoactive constituent delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol that recreational pot puffers are pursuing.

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Why Aren’t Americans Fighting Back?

E. Douglas Kihn | Truthout | July 15, 2013

Rage in Red. (Image: Jared Rodriguez / t r u t h o u t; Adapted: _ambrown, Muffet)

This is the big question, right? It’s what people are wondering everywhere.

The answer is simple and plausible – but the explanation is a bit more complicated. The majority of Americans are suffering terribly from the current economic crisis, but they do not yet have a political self-identity that will allow for a successful fightback. They don’t know who they are or what they’re fighting for. Neither do they understand whom or what they are fighting against.

“If you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles . . . if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle.” These are the words of Sūn Zǐ, a 6th century BCE Chinese general, military strategist, and author of The Art of War, an immensely influential ancient Chinese book on military strategy.

All fighting is the same. Self-knowledge and knowledge of the enemy confer on the fighter the outlines of a winning strategy, based on the best utilization of available weapons of offense and defense.

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