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At one time, cannabis plants were used for the stock, to weave clothing and canvas, the seeds, which provide the most nutritious food known to man, the root, which was used for medicine, and the flowers, or buds, which were used for psycho-active and medicinal purposes. As time went on, different strains of the plant were developed which specialized in specific purposes, those producing the most THC level usually being the most valuable. However, a small rebellion over 2,500 years ago against the powerful empires which became strong through their use of the Tree Of Life has mysteriously infected history with prohibitions of the flesh and conscious which have caused more pain and suffering than any other natural or unnatural disaster since the last Great Flood. Ironically, this still illegal plant has the capacity to help solve most of the world's current environmental, medical, spiritual, criminal, economic, and political problems. When Jack Herer's infamous book, THE EMPEROR WEARS NO CLOTHES, came out in 1985, the world was reawakened to the true potentials of Cannabis sativa. Hemp and marijuana were brought back together, once again, under the same banner head. For the first time in history, a book was available full of factual information about the industrial and agricultural uses of hemp, the medical and spiritual uses of marijuana, and the corporate conspiracy which had so effectively taken cannabis away from our society. Though a few experts disagree with some of the information presented in his book, the underlying message that Jack vibrantly expresses remains unopposed : Hemp Can Save The Planet.
A new concept of educating people about the hemp, marijuana and prohibition conspiracy began in Vancouver, when Ian Hunter, Dana Larsen and Glenn Anderson formed Total Hemp Corporation and the Institute for Adversarial Irony. They got together with the SFU League for Ethical Action on Drugs and created Hemp 101, which was to be a lecture education series at Simon Fraser University. The first class was held on July 27th, 1994, and featured Neil Boyd, a criminology professor from SFU, Umbertino Lorfid, from the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) and Randy Dillon, a forestry worker and IWA member. The class focused on the environmental, legal, and industrial implications of a revitalized hemp movement. At the end of the lecture, degrees from the Institute for Adversarial Irony were handed out with hemp seed cake samples. Although the event went well, it was the first and last of Hemp 101. Danna Rosiek, the manager of Hemp BC in Vancouver at the time, began organizing Hempology 101 in her studio apartment, Terrapin Station, Center for Deadheads, in November of 1994. The first class, which was right across the street from Hemp BC, had 7 people attending. Slowly but surely, more and more showed up until the room was packed every week. I attended my first class in January of 1995, and immediately saw Hempology 101's potential.
A few weeks after that,
I realized that it was my duty to come to Victoria and teach Hempology
101. It is the ideal location for the organization, not only because
it is one of the most cannabis- friendly places in North America,
but especially because the provincial parliament resides here. It
was about one month before I moved to Victoria, in July '95, when
I came up with the idea of writing this textbook, a vital step in
the program. However, when I left my home and family in Ontario
I did always have the idea in mind that I should help promote the
growth of hemp so my family, which owns a number of small farms,
could grow the paper upon which my books would be printed upon.
One day, a hemp paper coop supplied by my family will be producing
the paper that this book is printed upon. You can count upon that.
Education and enlightenment
are very personal matters. In order to truly know and understand
something, one must learn everything within oneself. You must study,
watch, experience and express the very thing you wish to know. Still,
having a teacher or guide to help you to a destination the first
couple of times one climbs a mountain is quite acceptable. But,
as Friedrich Nietzsche says, "One repays a teacher badly if one
remains but a pupil." I congratulate you for picking up this book
and taking a giant step forward into education of the Self. For
those of you who are consciously continuing their way along this
wonderful philosophical journey, I welcome you aboard, too. Together
we can raise the human race to unimaginable heights. The concept of Hempology
101 is by far the most important aspect of the "course." It is free,
the way education should be. No one, other than those who enter
with violent or rude behaviour, will be forcibly taken away or excluded.
No one denied the life-serving knowledge that they need to be able
to understand their present situation in contemporary society. No
one denied speaking their piece. No one coerced into doing anything
that they don't want to. No one is told anything that doesn't come
straight from the heart. An open mind is the only requirement to
come. By sharing thoughts and experiences when we gather, we raise
our collective consciousness about ourselves, our environment, our
countries, and the YOUniverse. Hempology 101 could become a focal
point for the grassroots movement challenging the status quo. We
like to think of it as participatory education in peaceful acts
of civil disobedience and harmony. This textbook will lead
you through the history of cannabis, the hemp/marijuana prohibition
conspiracy, the revival of cannabis in the fields, marketplace and
medicine cabinets, and the potential our species has if we embrace
and properly use this wonderful plant. We can collectively begin
to make better decisions about the resources we have available to
us, the substances we choose to consume and the political leaders
we elect to manage the affairs of our governments. Cannabis has
a large role to play in these future changes. I hope that I do not
repeat myself too often, or reiterate facts and ideas that everyone
knows about, whether they are in the hemp movement or not. I realize
that I have not footnoted or documented my claims enough for many
academics to accept some of my controversial ideas. However, I believe
that there is enough evidence provided in this book to prove to
anyone that cannabis is an important factor in the development of
the human species. The historical process
which has led us to this point in time has created a situation where
we must either radically change the way our species treats the Earth
and each other, or we will collapse in anarchy and environmental
ruin. This must be kept foremost in mind as one reads this book.
Cannabis sativa has been created to help solve almost every problem
we have. Now we need to allow that to happen. There is not much more
than that to say, though reading further will definitely give you
a better understanding of how I can say such a statement without
jeporadizing my intellectual credibility. Information about cannabis
must be made available to university and public school teachers
so that they can start to educate their students about cannabis,
the Tree of Life. The information contained within this book must
be freely shared with the masses. |
The
War on Drugs is the epitome of a much larger, older struggle than
most people realize. It is nothing less than a War on Peace, a War
on People. The War On Drugs is waged upon those who are not able
or willing to take up arms to fight against powerful, deadly foes
who are willing to engage in violence in order to suppress and subdue
entire cultures.
Fifteen
years after the publication of THE EMPEROR WEARS NO CLOTHES, we
find ourselves on the verge of the cannabis resurrection. Many countries
throughout the world are growing and producing hemp, creating new
products, and opening up new markets daily. There are now over 30,
000 possible products which can be produced with the various components
of the cannabis plant. We are only producing a couple of hundred
of them in any large quantity, though in time we will be surrounded
by inexpensive, higher quality products such as plastics, fuels,
and food which will be derived from cannabis. Medical marijuana
is being endorsed by the Canadian government, European nations and
the US States of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Maine, Nevada,
Oregon, Hawaii and Washington. Recreational use of the herb is coming
out of the closet, as individuals are finally getting tired of being
considered criminals by family, peers and authorities, no longer
hiding their custom of smoking pot. The War is not over yet, though.
When
the plans for a huge hempfest to be held at the Plaza of Nations on
April 23rd fell through, I felt that it was imperative that we still
held a rally on that day, which is, of course, St. George's Feast
Day. Even though I only started to organize it two weeks in advance,
and didn't have any fliers or posters made up until 5 days before,
we held the first ever Professional Hemp Development Day (PHD Day)
at Victory Square, Vancouver. While the crowd was relatively small,
the speakers, Danna Rosiek, Dana Larsen, Reverend Leroy Campbell and
Marc Emery were all inspiring and enlightening. Everyone there could
feel the excitement and energy that was building up in the cannabis
movement.
Copyright 1996 by Leon Smith
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