MARIJUANA FACTS Originally: Area: ECHO: Norml Msg#: 301 Sent Date: 06 Sep 93 23:03:00 From: Henry Fell Read: Yes Replied: No To: All Mark: Subj: Mary Jane Facts n Figures ============================================================================= 1. The Original drafts of the Declaration of Independance were written on hemp paper. 2. One acre of hemp will produce as much paper as four acres of trees 3. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew hemp. Washington declared, "Make the most of the hemp seed. Sow it everywhere." 4. In 1937 the Marijuana Tax Stamp Act prohibited the use, sale, and cultivation of hemp/marijuana in the United States. 5. Five years later, during World War II, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released the film "Hemp for Victory," which encouraged American farmers to grow hemp for the war effort. 6. Sterilized hemp seed is commonly sold as bird seed. 7. Hemp is cultivated all over the world. Today, China, Korea, Italy, Hungary, Russia, and France are among the countries that grow hemp for fiber, paper, and other products. 8. Cannabis is classified as a schedule 1 drug by the FDA. Designated as a narcotic, it cannot be prescribed by physicians to their paitents. 9. In 1988, the DEA's own administrative law judge concluded that "marijuana is one of the safest, therapeutically active substances known to man." 10. Cannabis can be used to treat nausea, pain, and muscle spasams. It alleviates symtoms of glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, AIDS, migranes, and other debilitating ailments. 11. Thirty-five states have passed laws permiting medical use of marijuana. 12. Twelve americans recive prescribed marijuana from the U.S. government. 13. More that 400,000 Americans are arrested each year on marijuana charges. 14. More than 400,000 Americans die from diseases related to cigarette smoking each year. But, finally, in 10,000 years of use, no one's death has ever been atributed to marijuana.