Direct Democracy proposal for Agriculture

Domestic Hemp cultivation

Should the People's Administration install direct democracy, we propose a policy to increase protection of the natural environment whilst revitalising the UK farming industry and strengthening the domestic economy through mass hemp cultivation.


The People's Administration's hemp cultivation policy calls for the synthetic production of hemp bio fuel, hemp paper pulp, hemp fibre, hemp food and hemp medicinal crops on all UK farms whilst calling for the encouragement of a domestic UK market for bio fuel compatible vehicles and paper consumers. Refining and distribution of bio fuel from hemp could be handled by the UK oil industry as it diversifies to include bio fuel.

Currently, the Home Office licence to grow hemp allows only hemp cultivation for fibre and, it does not allow for seed cultivation meaning that seeds have to be imported. This is an unnecessary import that increases production costs and compromises quality.

With the major vehicle manufacturers in Europe increasing production and export of bio fuel-compatible vehicles, there is now the potential to encourage a market for bio fuel compatible vehicles within the UK. Such a market could be stimulated by offering UK manufacturers and consumers a range of incentives and, by implementing a highly aggressive marketing strategy that promotes the cost benefits to the consumer, the health benefits to the consumer and, the benefits to the environment.

UK government hand-outs to recession-hit automotive manufacturers could have been given ONLY to manufacturers who could diversify and to go green. This opportunity was missed but can still be applied and also with aircraft engine manufacturers.

Hemp paper pulp and material produce would become an alternative to paper and fabric imports, meaning less deforestation and less expense. It is fast-growing with a harvest cycle of approximately 3 months and could be grown under licence up to the stage just before the active ingredient ‘THC' becomes present. hemp has thousands of known medicinal uses and is one of the world's strongest natural fibres.

Direct Democracy - Hemp

Hemp is used in many medicinal products with many cosmetic products already being imported and sold in the UK. Whilst THC [just one of the active ingredients in hemp] can be known to cause some potentially negative mental side effects in some people who smoke hemp, British government scientists have recently discovered properties of hemp that also contain a control for Psychosis and other mental illnesses as well as properties that can aid physiological healing of the body.

 


Alzheimer's disease
Lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Breast cancer
HIV/AIDS
Brain cancer
Opioid dependence
Spasticity in multiple sclerosis

Evidence of this is supported by the following institutions - all are campaigning for legal access for patients:

The American Medical Association
The American College of Physicians [America's second largest physicians group]
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society [America's second largest cancer charity]
American Academy of Family Physicians
American Alliance for Medical Cannabis
American Public Health Association
American Psychiatric Association
American Nurses Association
British Medical Association
AIDS Action
American Academy of HIV Medicine
Lymphoma Foundation of America
Health Canada


During the late 1930's, Henry Ford built a range of automobiles [banned by the US government from going into mass-production] constructed from a hemp polymer and which ran on hemp oil and, hemp has been used for paper, food, medicine, clothing and rope for thousands of years.

In the early part of the previous century, the US government used the law to enforce all farmers to grow hemp and, it was considered to be so central to the US economy that farmers who refused to grow it were actually criminalised and imprisoned. Dupont bribed the US government so that it could flood markets with its synthetic products and not have to worry about competition from nature/God and the law was changed overnight. Farmers were suddenly locked-up for growing hemp and the US government launched a national anti-cannabis propaganda campaign. Growing hemp is still illegal today and in our opinion, only because of this reason. This propaganda is still with us today and is now standing in the way of the planet's survival.

If you think that growing, consuming or smoking hemp is illegal due to health and social reasons, then remember how many people die each day due to the consumption of legal substances and the costs to society, and how much money the government makes on revenues from the sale of these killer substances.

If one of nature's most powerful aids to individual and communal well-being is outlawed, are we saying that nature got it wrong? If we got it so right, then why is the world suffering so needlessly?

hemp Cultivation can end Global Deforestation:

80 per cent of the world's rainforests have already been either destroyed or degraded, and half of that has been in the last 30 years. Illegal and destructive logging, industrial-scale farming and climate change all threaten the remaining tracts of forest that have stood for thousands of years.

The equivalent to 7 football fields per minute lost!

Within a four-mile square area of Brazilian tropical forest there are over 750 species of trees, 625 species of mammals, birds and reptiles. Most of these species are found nowhere else in the world. Extinction is a natural process but rates are increased by human activity.

Each year up to 50,000 species disappear along with potentially healing plant medicines [137 per day/6 per hour/1 per 10 mins]!

From storing carbon to recycling water into the atmosphere, it's increasingly clear that ancient forests play a critical role in the regulation of the global climate while their destruction is a major contributor to climate change.

Deforestation accounts for approx. 20% of all CO2 emissions - more than the entire global transport sector!

Environmental Benefits

Cleaner emissions from domestic vehicles and less deforestation. Less palm and sugar cane bio fuel crops that actually harm the environment and increase world poverty.

Environmental Costs

None

Economical Benefits

1. Cheaper fuel for vehicle users:
Bio fuel is 8 times more efficient to produce than petrol

2. Cheaper road tax for vehicle users:
A reduction in road tax charges along with other incentives could encourage UK consumers to buy bio fuel compatible vehicles. This tax-loss could be recovered by using money saved by not having to pay the UK farming subsidy as well as by using a tax levied on bio fuel sales.

3. UK Farming Industry revitalised and made self-sufficient:
Under synthetic conditions, hemp could be produced on all UK farms by reclaiming the use of the land that each farm has for years, had to leave unused by law. Doing this also offers a new form of diversification to the farming industry, which could increase profits for farmers making the industry more independent of subsidies of any kind. This could mean the cessation of the European Farming Subsidy paid to Uk farmers.

4. Secondary [supplier, distribution and re-seller] industries stimulated:
UK poly tunnel and growth-technology manufacturers will experience an increase in productivity as they meet demand from the farming industry. Companies that refine, distribute and sell hemp products will also become highly productive. Refining, distributing and selling bio fuel could be handled by UK oil companies as they are currently in place to do so and, at some point in the future these companies will need to diversify if they are to survive as oil is not a renewable energy source.

5. Potential increase in employment within the UK farming industry and secondary industries:
Farmers could potentially become so productive through cultivating hemp that employment rates increase within the industry. This could also happen for industries and companies who supply the farms as well as those who buy, use and re-sell hemp products.

6. Cessation of payment of Annual UK Farming Subsidy:

The increased productivity within the farming industry should mean that UK farmers would no longer be reliant on subsidies to survive. Funds allocated for the National UK Farming Subsidy will become a saving that could subsidise the reduction in income of road tax [should a reduction be offered as an incentive to bio fuel compatible vehicle customers]. Europe no longer wants to contribute towards the UK farming subsidy so removing this diplomatic burden would increase relations between the UK and Europe.

7. Potential increase in UK exports [processed bio fuel]:
If the UK acts early with the production of hemp bio fuel and materials, we could find export markets in Europe. These markets would probably be limited in their sustainability as other countries may start to become self-sufficient. In this case, the UK would have become a roll model and the future loss of income from supplying these markets would be replaced by an increase in respect, integrity and status internationally, which would benefit all UK businesses trading in global markets.

8. Potential gradual decrease in imports [oil]:
Independence regarding importing oil - the benefits should be obvious to all.

9. Potential gradual decrease in imports [paper pulp]:
Using hemp pulp grown on UK farms as an alternative to paper, means more independence from foreign suppliers with fewer imports, making the UK economy stronger whilst having less impact on the environment. Exports of hemp paper to other countries could also strengthen the UK domestic economy.

Economical Costs

Potential Reduction in road tax revenue.

Political Benefits

Support from the farming industry which has been neglected by many governments for many years.
Support from people who support the protection of the environment.
Support from people who are resentful at paying higher and higher charges to drive their vehicles.
Support from people who are resentful at paying higher taxes to protect the environment.
Enhanced independence from Europe, as Europe no longer wants to fund the UK Farming Subsidy.
Enhanced relationships with other countries that are seriously committed to the Kyoto agreement.

Political Costs

Future relationships with foreign oil suppliers will become weaker as their products will have less demand from UK markets.

Voting for direct democracy outside a general election

Direct Democracy - Audio

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