should hemp be legal?

[nolys]

First off I know hemp is one of, if not the best resources known to this planet but my question is, should we use it?
I havnt did any research or anything on the subject, this is really just off the top of my head

If hemp were made legal would millions of people not lose their jobs? Even if people were given new similar jobs, would there be enoguh jobs. Products made from hemp last a hell of a lot longer than products from other materials so would this mean a slowdown in the clothing/rope etc industrys?
The same goes for the alcohol industry where a lot of people are employed, more people would start to smoke cannabis instead of drinking, we know that the govt could switch peoples jobs about, but a lot of people would grow their own resulting in more job loss.
we could use hemp as biofuel, but again would jobs not be lost in the oil business because it wouldn't take the number of people on an oil rig + people to move set up rigs + engineers and whatnot to plant and process a hempfield

I'm all for the legalisation of cannabis but I was high the yesterday and just started thinking how legalisation would impact the world.

Anyone else got any input? anyone agree/disagree? Think this is a stupid question?

I havnt thought this through but I wanted to ask before I forgot. Something tells me I'm asking a stupid question but I really don't care

Well?

EDIT - if you think this is a stupid question, why so? Give me a reason

 

[bigben202]

Hemp is still marketable in the US, but yea there should be no reason why it is completely legal. Other than the fact that it's tied to marijuana (which is the only reason it's not legal) it has no effects on which to get you high and there are a ton of uses for it. Also counting the small things like creating jobs

 

[nolys]

I think that the reason cannabis is illegal is because it stops hemp being used more which may have a negative impact on the economy (or a positive, I don't know). It would definitly create jobs but would it not take some away also?

 

[paper planes]

yes i think it would definatly create jobs i know that during one of the world wars we had to grow because it so much better for so many products i could go on forever about all parts of legalization but just about hemp food, clothes, and paper are just some things it'd be better for than previous products we are already using..why cut down a bunch of trees when we could just grown hemp and make that..but ive heard that back during the reefer madness times they wanted to convert the lumber mills to a hemp process but the owner didnt want to take a loss so he paid for bad marketing pertaining to weed

 

[jill30]

I thought hemp was legal here in the USA. I was in a smoke shop and they said they had hemp rope and were selling it like it was legal?

 

[Splinterguitar69]

I'm not being insulting, but is this a serious question? Or more of a data-collecting question?

The War on Drugs in America for 2011 is about to foot tax payers a bill of over $51 billion. Let's assume then that since half of drug busts are for pot, then half the budget would be accurate +/-10%

In any case, taxing hemp and bud production will do a two-fold deal- 1) Save the potential $25 billion directed at keeping it illegal and 2) Will generate a revenue of up to $80 billion!!! $105 billion dollars our governments didnt have last year. If every country did this, it will seriously be like the 2008 crash never even happened.

Then there's the fact that the part of the plant valuable for THC, per capita, is immeasurably safer than nearly every psychoactive compound available to human beings. There is a MORAL issue with marijuana being illegal.

So that's what I think. What do YOU think?

 

[PsychicBuBBLe]

This is a rhetorical question, right?

 

[Splinterguitar69]

I guess to add to my answer:

Corporations lobby over drug laws. Thats it. MDMA and THC aren't legal because if people found out there are chemicals that are safer, less addicting, and make you feel better than cigarettes and alcohol, the alcohol companies would all but go out of business.

They pay for congressmen/womens campaigns JUST so these bills can get written and signed. THATS how much of a threat these molecules are to certain industries.

And the marijuana industry would generate hundreds of thousands of jobs. The jobs created would surpassed the jobs lost by 100 fold

 

[Doctor X]

there's no reason why each and every part of the cannabis plant shouldn't be used and enjoyed by anyone who wishes to.

 

[purple_cloud]

Honestly, I think this is going to turn into our usual "legalize it!!" then *reasons why it won't happen* then *more hopeful cries of how it can* etc. This stuff goes in circles unfortunately, most people here will say "yes it should" to most drug related things and even something like hemp where you can argue paper, fabrics, etc. I'm going to close this, if anyone feels otherwise please PM me to discuss it.