Help End Marijuana Prohibition (HEMP) Party Policies

Reasons to VOTE 1 HEMP

1. To alleviate the suffering of the chronically or terminally ill.
2. To enhance the environment by replacing environmentally unsound products.
3. To reduce avenues of fast cash for terrorists, insurgents, arms traders and security organisations.
4. To reduce the flow of Cannabis money to criminal gangs.
5. To limit corrupting temptations available to Police, Customs Officials and Prison Guards
6. Decriminalisation of Hemp would drastically reduce Police workload and free officers to tackle genuine crimes where it is not as easy to gain high arrest rates.
7. To remove an avenue for scaremongering by opportunistic politicians and journalists.
8. To hopefully lower the price of Hemp or Cannabis.
9. To put an end to using dogs as a tool of discrimination against a harmless sector of the community.
10. To put an end to the marginalisation of Cannabis users, indeed to try to put such petty behaviours to rest in many areas of politics.
11. The HEMP Party would undertake to try to ‘keep the bastards honest’.
12. To allow people to enjoy a spiritual, relaxing experience – legally!

HEMP Party: Policy Brief

Our sole purpose is to agitate for the re-legalisation of 

Cannabis for personal, medical and industrial use.

YEAR AFTER YEAR:

The Cannabis market grows larger,

Police expenditures grow and,

More Cannabis arrests are made.

Marijuana Prohibition in Australia has failed!

CANNABIS PROHIBITION:

breeds disrespect for the law,

engenders corruption,

endangers our youth,

costs us money,

enriches criminals,

hurts the sick and,

doesn’t work!

1) The re-legalisation of Cannabis will protect young Australians.

The black market is of special concern to parents. Many children find it hard to come to terms with discovering that their parents purchase and smoke Cannabis illegally. Many parents find it impossible to understand why their children use Cannabis. Our current laws constitute a hypocrisy that often poisons the relationship of our youth with parents and authority figures and always makes instilling a sense of respect for our laws a more difficult enterprise than it should be. Regulating the Cannabis marketplace by re-legalising Cannabis use will assist in preventing children gaining easy access to Cannabis, assist parents in building better citizens, and help us all to restore the waning bond of trust between citizenry and police force.

2) The only way to control the currently unregulated marketplace is to re-legalise Cannabis.

Prohibition laws do not work. Every year there are ever more users of Cannabis despite ever greater numbers of arrests. Despite huge and ever increasing expenditures of taxpayer funds the marketplace grows ever larger and more sophisticated. Helicopters packed with ever better trained paratroopers buzz over more Australian valleys. And to what end? Every year ‘the war on drugs’ entirely fails to impact the use or supply of Cannabis in any meaningful way. Someone once remarked that the definition of madness is to undertake the same act over and over again in expectation of a different outcome!

3) Australians don’t like other people dictating what they can do with our own bodies.

Aussies are a pretty sensible breed. Despite dire official warnings regarding the effects of Cannabis being produced and disseminated by the Australian Government for more than fifty years, most Australians know from personal experience that alcohol and tobacco (both legal drugs) pose a far greater risk to individual and societal health. Most Aussies understand that Cannabis is illegal because of an accident of history, not because it is dangerous.

• to allow for health education, home growing and regulated sales through registered outlets which will separate Cannabis from the criminality of the black-market and end consequent associated corruption.
• to allow medical use, utilising Cannabis’ painkilling, relaxing, anti nausea and healing properties.
• to establish a commercial Hemp industry producing fuel, fibre, paper, textiles, food, oil and other environmentally sound products.
• to release all those imprisoned for Cannabis alone and the removal of all records of previous criminal Cannabis convictions.

THE HEMP PARTY will advocate for the re-legalisation of Cannabis!

PROHIBITION = CHAOS

REGULATION = CONTROL

The Endocannabinoid System: An Overview

The Endocannabinoid System: An Overview

The Endocannabinoid system is a central regulatory system that affects a wide range of biological processes. It consists of a group of molecules known as Cannabinoids as well as the Cannabinoid receptors that they bind to. Although Cannabis is a source of over sixty Cannabinoids (including THC and CBD [see below]) the human body produces a number of Cannabinoids as well. These endogenous Cannabinoids include Anandamide and 2-Arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) and are present in all human beings. 

Decades of scientific research on the Endocannabinoid system has resulted in the discovery of two types of Cannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2. These receptors are found in various parts of the body, but are most prominent in the brain and immune system. Cannabinoid receptors act as binding sites for endogenous Cannabinoids as well as Cannabinoids found in Cannabis. When Cannabinoids bind to CB1 or CB2 receptors, they act to change the way the body functions. While Cannabinoid receptors are primarily expressed in the brain and immune system, researchers have identified Cannabinoid receptors in a variety of other places as well, including the peripheral nervous system, cardiovascular system, reproductive system and gastrointestinal and urinary tracts. Cannabinoid receptors continue to be identified in unique parts of the body as research on the Endocannabinoid system progresses.

Interestingly, the Endocannabinoid system is not unique to the human species. Research has shown that this system is common to all humans and vertebrate animals – and even some invertebrate animals – suggesting its significance in the process of evolution. Experts believe that natural selection has conserved the Endocannabinoid system in living organisms for 500 million years. Although the Endocannabinoid system affects a wide variety of biological processes (such as appetite and sleep), experts believe that its overall function is to regulate homeostasis. Homeostasis is a key element in the biology of all living things and is best described as the ability to maintain stable internal conditions that are necessary for survival. Disease is simply a result of some aspect of failure in achieving homeostasis, making the Endocannabinoid system a unique target for medical applications.

A primary example of the Endocannabinoid system’s role in homeostasis comes from research that has identified an over-expression of Cannabinoid receptors in the tumour cells of various cancer diseases, including lung cancer, liver cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer. Research has also shown that tumour growth can be inhibited and even reversed when Cannabinoids such as THC are administered. Experts believe that the over-expression of Cannabinoid receptors is an indicator of the Endocannabinoid system’s role as a biological defence system, providing strong support for the use of medical Cannabis.

Interestingly, research suggests that this defence system is not only useful in treating cancer, but may also be beneficial in the treatment of a wide variety of conditions. Current evidence points to the Endocannabinoid system as being a potential therapeutic target for the following list of disorders:

AIDS/HIV

Alzheimer’s Disease

Arthritis

Cancer

Chronic Pain

Epilepsy

Fibromyalgia

Glaucoma

Multiple Sclerosis

Sleep disorders

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

And many, many more…

While the Endocannabinoid system has been thoroughly investigated in the medical field, many still question its role in the recreational use of Cannabis. Although its long-term effects continue to be debated, evidence shows that Cannabis is a surprisingly benign substance that poses no risk of overdose and minimal risk of addiction. Experts also believe that the psychoactive properties of Cannabis are most likely to be temporary and pose no risk of brain damage in the long run. Granted the use of Cannabis should still be approached with caution, evidence points to Cannabis as ultimately being safer than most commonly available substances, including caffeine, tobacco and alcohol!

What is THC?

Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is one of over 60 chemicals called cannabinoids found in Cannabis
THC acts on the Endocannabinoid system of the human body to elicit its effects
THC is produced by the female Cannabis plant
THC acts mostly on the brain and is responsible for the 'high' that users experience
THC is medically beneficial in a long list of disorders
THC is non-toxic
To date, there is little conclusive evidence of any long-term side effects of THC

What is CBD?

Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of over 60 chemicals called cannabinoids found in Cannabis
CBD levels vary by strain
CBD doesn’t get you 'high' – it is not a psychoactive substance
CBD counteracts some of the psychoactive effects of THC
CBD is non-toxic
Studies show that CBD has medical potential in a long list of disorders

TruthOnPot.com is dedicated to bringing you the most recent and up-to-date information on the topic of Cannabis

Granny Storm Crow's List - an inspiration to all in 2013!

Cannabinoid studies are coming out at an ever increasing rate ... The List has to change with the times! And the times are changing! Two US states have legalised cannabis and others are considering it! At no time, since before the 1930's, have so many people supported medical use of cannabis! CNN’s Dr Sanjay Gupta has publicly changed his stance on cannabis and admitted to having tried it! And that same week, CNN ran a story about a child finding relief from severe epilepsy with a 'high CBD' cannabis extract. The facts about cannabis being a safe and effective medicine for many conditions are slowly trickling into the mainstream media! We can speed up that trickle of information to make it into a flood! The medical facts about cannabis speak for themselves, but it is up to us to get those facts to the public! Each one of you knows someone who could benefit from the information in The List - a relative, friend or coworker. It takes only a moment to forward The List to them and it may change their life! Your doctor, unless he is an exception, has not educated himself about cannabis. Send him a few abstracts to get his interest (the Post Office delivers mail without a return address - you can even stay anonymous)! And our politicians are worst of all! One activist described talking with our politicians as like “talking to teenagers who had never heard of cannabis”! That they are so profoundly ignorant about even the most basic facts about cannabis and yet are in charge of making our laws on it, is mind-boggling! We have the facts on our side. All we need to do is speak the truth clearly, and repeatedly, until cannabis is fully legalised! The prohibitionists have spread their lies for the last three quarters of a century, but their lies cannot stand up to the truth that we possess. And as my Grandfather said, “If the truth won’t do, then something is wrong!” (Granny's List is all over the internet, just Google Granny Storm Crows List and you'll find this most useful resource!)

In Australia we have a huge chance to educate ... knowledge is power and with the upcoming Federal Election we can send a message to the 'powers-that-be' by electing HEMP candidates in as many states as possible!

The politicians in Australia show little or no interest in helping the sick, suffering, persecuted and prosecuted! And don't think our public education system is informing YOUR children of the truth about drugs, legal or otherwise ... they are not! And as for the medical profession and ancillary health-workers, they're almost as ignorant. Head in the sand like ostriches seems to be the way for them all, Down Under! We need to do the work for them. We need to spread the truth, the good word, and free the leaf! Cannabis can no longer be demonized, the lies no longer hold any weight as science and medicine have consistently proven just how wrong public policy on this issue has been for decades! Now is the time for change!

Speaking with a small group of 15 and 16 year-old girls the other day, I was surprised to find that they were firmly under the impression, from their parents (who themselves use cannabis recreationally), that smoking cannabis killed brain cells (and their school had given them no education on 'drugs' at all [any wonder HIV levels have risen in the past decade or so in some parts of Australia] we surely have a responsibility to educate with facts, the truth, the whole truth)! I find this totally unacceptable. 

We need to tell our children the truth about cannabis (and educate their parents and teachers), give them the facts! Cannabis is a herb and used medicinally it can relieve so many ailments without being toxic in any way! Alcohol, tobacco and 'pharma-chemicals' destroy; cannabis treats and cures, the proof is irrefutable and we need this proffered in a public forum to remove the persecution and prosecution of those doing no harm and to allow the sick and suffering to be treated with cannabis and hemp in whatever form suits them best. Cannabis use for best results is a very individual thing as we all differ so much. I await the day when I can grow my own medicine, designed to treat my particular ailments; throw away the toxic 'pharma-chemicals' the medico's have me on and live a long and much healthier and happier life! 

Help End Marijuana Prohibition (HEMP) Party

Policies

• to re-legalise and regulate Cannabis for personal, medical and industrial use.
• to allow for health education, home growing and regulated sales through registered outlets which will separate Cannabis from the criminality of the black-market and end consequent associated corruption.
• to allow medical use, utilising Cannabis’ painkilling, relaxing, anti nausea and healing properties.
• to establish a commercial Hemp industry producing fuel, fibre, paper, textiles, food, oil and other environmentally sound products.
• to release all those imprisoned for Cannabis alone and the removal of all records of previous criminal Cannabis convictions.

Below are some of the latest studies, medical information etc for your perusal. If you don't know about the healing properties of Cannabis, please afford yourself the chance to enhance your knowledge of this most wondrous gift from nature!

Cannabinoids Slow Brain Degradation and Aging, Reverse Dementia

Top Doctors Association Says Yes

Most Americans Now Live In States That Have Rejected Marijuana Prohibition

Cannabis May Protect From Side Effects of Cancer Drugs According To Study

Dr Sanjay Gupta - Whole Cannabis Is Better Than Just CBD or THC

Marijuana Can Improve Rigidity In Parkinsons

Marijuana Disrupts Cancer Pathway of Cigarettes, Study