DEA Has Spent $175 Million of your $$$ on nothing..... - GoFuckYourself.com

RAM · 01-10-2007, 10:41 AM

DEA Has Spent $175 Million Eradicating "Ditch Weed" Plants That Don't Get You High

from Drug War Chronicle, Issue #467, 1/5/07

In the past two decades, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has spent at least $175 million in direct spending and grants to the states to eradicate feral hemp plants, popularly known as "ditch weed." The plants, the hardy descendants of hemp plants grown by farmers at the federal government's request during World War II, do not contain enough THC, the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, to get people high.

According to figures from the DEA's Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program, it has seized or destroyed 4.7 billion feral hemp plants since 1984. That's in contrast to the 4.2 million marijuana plants it has seized or destroyed during the same period. In other words, 98.1% of all plants eradicated under the program were ditch weed, of which it is popularly remarked that "you could smoke a joint the size of a telephone pole and all you would get is a headache and a sore throat."

While the DEA is spending millions of tax payer dollars, including $11 million in 2005, to wipe out hemp plants, farmers in Canada and European countries are making millions growing hemp for use in a wide variety of food, clothing, and other products. Manufacturers of hemp products in the United States must import their hemp from countries with more enlightened policies.

"It's Orwellian that the biggest target of the DEA's Eradication Program is actually not a drug but instead a useful plant for everything from food, clothing and even auto parts and currently must be imported to supply a $270 million industry," said Eric Steenstra, president of Vote Hemp, a group lobbying for increased acceptance of the versatile plant. "While Vote Hemp has urged the DEA to recognize the difference between hemp and marijuana so farmers could grow it here, the federal agency is spending millions of dollars to destroy hundreds of millions of harmless hemp plants."

DEA officials regularly argue that there is no difference between hemp and marijuana, but their own statistics belie that claim. In its reports on the domestic eradication program, the agency clearly differentiates between ditch weed and "cultivated marijuana."

Not only is the ditch weed eradication program a waste of money, it may even be counterproductive, said Vote Hemp national outreach coordinator Tom Murphy. "Much of the ditch weed eradicated is believed to be burned, turning a carbon consuming plant into a contributor of Greenhouse gasses," said Murphy in a post-Christmas press release. "For all the effort to find and destroy these harmless wild hemp plants they are coming back year after year. It is likely that the eradication programs help re-seed the locations were ditch weed is found. The late summer timing and removal method causes countless ripe seeds to fall to the ground where they will sprout again the following year."

Your tax dollars at work.

StoptheDrugWar.org

Phoenix · 01-10-2007, 10:42 AM

yeah that makes sense to me

governement spending is hard to track

Narfle · 01-10-2007, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RAM

StoptheDrugWar.org

Consider the source.

SuckOnThis · 01-10-2007, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Narfle

Consider the source.

Whats the matter, did the DARE officer visit your school yesterday and fill your head with all kinds of shit?

Gabriel · 01-10-2007, 11:16 AM

Thats an outrage!!!

Now pass the bong.

SmokeyTheBear · 01-10-2007, 11:24 AM

pennies compared to what their spending in iraq , all based on nothing..

true it sucks. but in perspective. every year 17 BILLION $ worth of military equipment is lost/detroyed in battle..

yup you heard that right 17 BILLION.. so the simple act of NOT killing people for no reason ( we havent been attacked in years and years ) would save us 17 billion a year

mikeyddddd · 01-10-2007, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmokeyTheBear

pennies compared to what their spending in iraq , all based on nothing..

Sad, but true. Even without the equipment costs.

slapass · 01-10-2007, 11:49 AM

It is not like they would return the money to us and this is probably one of the best uses of the govt. Burning weeds in the ditch is not such a bad thing.

Amazing that we can argue as to the thc level in the average ditch weed. Why would htis not be a known thing??? Knowledge has been perverted to the point that almost nothing is a "fact" any more.

_Richard_ · 01-10-2007, 12:04 PM

yea.. seeing some of the info that's out about the american war on drugs is mildy frightening.. i've heard that hemp plants are able to produce a type of fuel that can be used in cars

R

collegeboobies · 01-10-2007, 12:11 PM

Anyone who says consider the source? Thats exactly what you should be doing. You cannot trust the government when it comes to drug facts. That has been proven time and time again. 90% of what they say about drugs is false, the other 10% is misleading and incomplete. Poor girl around here was found dead in her car on her way to her friends house during Christmas break..... had OD'd on prescription drugs.... but you never see government ads saying how bad prescription drugs are.

collegeboobies · 01-10-2007, 12:14 PM

Hemp is illegal because it is a plant that can compete with most major US corporations.

Nysus · 01-10-2007, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by collegeboobies

Hemp is illegal because it is a plant that can compete with most major US corporations.

They're making Hemp protein powder nowadays too. Very diverse crop.

Matt

NinjaSteve · 01-10-2007, 12:19 PM

Who cares, it's just money.

marketsmart · 01-10-2007, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmokeyTheBear

pennies compared to what their spending in iraq , all based on nothing..

true it sucks. but in perspective. every year 17 BILLION $ worth of military equipment is lost/detroyed in battle..

yup you heard that right 17 BILLION.. so the simple act of NOT killing people for no reason ( we havent been attacked in years and years ) would save us 17 billion a year

also, i just heard yesterday that it costs the US 1.7 billion a week to be in Iraq... i wonder how much of that goes to subcontractors that charge $40k a month for private security per person...

starpimps · 01-10-2007, 12:48 PM

come to canada...

reynold · 01-10-2007, 07:56 PM

Who knows where the rest of the money goes.

BigCashCrew · 01-10-2007, 07:58 PM

Playboy magazine has some great articles on this kind of thing pretty often. It's a fucking joke.

01-10-2007, 10:41 AM	#1
RAM They're all hookers, but mom! Industry Role: Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Right now Shelby Twp MI Posts: 7,047	DEA Has Spent $175 Million of your $$$ on nothing..... DEA Has Spent $175 Million Eradicating "Ditch Weed" Plants That Don't Get You High from Drug War Chronicle, Issue #467, 1/5/07 In the past two decades, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has spent at least $175 million in direct spending and grants to the states to eradicate feral hemp plants, popularly known as "ditch weed." The plants, the hardy descendants of hemp plants grown by farmers at the federal government's request during World War II, do not contain enough THC, the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, to get people high. According to figures from the DEA's Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program, it has seized or destroyed 4.7 billion feral hemp plants since 1984. That's in contrast to the 4.2 million marijuana plants it has seized or destroyed during the same period. In other words, 98.1% of all plants eradicated under the program were ditch weed, of which it is popularly remarked that "you could smoke a joint the size of a telephone pole and all you would get is a headache and a sore throat." While the DEA is spending millions of tax payer dollars, including $11 million in 2005, to wipe out hemp plants, farmers in Canada and European countries are making millions growing hemp for use in a wide variety of food, clothing, and other products. Manufacturers of hemp products in the United States must import their hemp from countries with more enlightened policies. "It's Orwellian that the biggest target of the DEA's Eradication Program is actually not a drug but instead a useful plant for everything from food, clothing and even auto parts and currently must be imported to supply a $270 million industry," said Eric Steenstra, president of Vote Hemp, a group lobbying for increased acceptance of the versatile plant. "While Vote Hemp has urged the DEA to recognize the difference between hemp and marijuana so farmers could grow it here, the federal agency is spending millions of dollars to destroy hundreds of millions of harmless hemp plants." DEA officials regularly argue that there is no difference between hemp and marijuana, but their own statistics belie that claim. In its reports on the domestic eradication program, the agency clearly differentiates between ditch weed and "cultivated marijuana." Not only is the ditch weed eradication program a waste of money, it may even be counterproductive, said Vote Hemp national outreach coordinator Tom Murphy. "Much of the ditch weed eradicated is believed to be burned, turning a carbon consuming plant into a contributor of Greenhouse gasses," said Murphy in a post-Christmas press release. "For all the effort to find and destroy these harmless wild hemp plants they are coming back year after year. It is likely that the eradication programs help re-seed the locations were ditch weed is found. The late summer timing and removal method causes countless ripe seeds to fall to the ground where they will sprout again the following year." Your tax dollars at work. StoptheDrugWar.org __________________ RAM Fucking Machines are like CASH MACHINES See RAM on these quality sites!! Rightofftheboat.com EuroBrideTryouts.com

01-10-2007, 10:42 AM	#2
Phoenix BACON BACON BACON Industry Role: Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Poems everybody, the laddie fancies himself a poet Posts: 35,462	yeah that makes sense to me governement spending is hard to track __________________ Skype Phoenixskype1 Telegram PhoenixBrad https://quantads.io

01-10-2007, 11:16 AM	#5
Gabriel Confirmed User Industry Role: Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: So*Cal Posts: 4,789	Thats an outrage!!! Now pass the bong. __________________ ICQ#: 142295729

01-10-2007, 11:24 AM	#6
SmokeyTheBear ►SouthOfHeaven Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: PlanetEarth MyBoardRank: GerbilMaster My-Penis-Size: extralarge MyWeapon: Computer Posts: 28,609	pennies compared to what their spending in iraq , all based on nothing.. true it sucks. but in perspective. every year 17 BILLION $ worth of military equipment is lost/detroyed in battle.. yup you heard that right 17 BILLION.. so the simple act of NOT killing people for no reason ( we havent been attacked in years and years ) would save us 17 billion a year __________________ hatisblack at yahoo.com

01-10-2007, 12:11 PM	#10
collegeboobies So Fucking Banned Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 3,644	Anyone who says consider the source? Thats exactly what you should be doing. You cannot trust the government when it comes to drug facts. That has been proven time and time again. 90% of what they say about drugs is false, the other 10% is misleading and incomplete. Poor girl around here was found dead in her car on her way to her friends house during Christmas break..... had OD'd on prescription drugs.... but you never see government ads saying how bad prescription drugs are. Last edited by collegeboobies; 01-10-2007 at 12:13 PM..

01-10-2007, 11:49 AM	#8
slapass Too lazy to set a custom title Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Earth Posts: 14,622	It is not like they would return the money to us and this is probably one of the best uses of the govt. Burning weeds in the ditch is not such a bad thing. Amazing that we can argue as to the thc level in the average ditch weed. Why would htis not be a known thing??? Knowledge has been perverted to the point that almost nothing is a "fact" any more.

01-10-2007, 12:04 PM	#9
_Richard_ Too lazy to set a custom title Industry Role: Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Earth Posts: 30,989	yea.. seeing some of the info that's out about the american war on drugs is mildy frightening.. i've heard that hemp plants are able to produce a type of fuel that can be used in cars R

01-10-2007, 12:14 PM	#11
collegeboobies So Fucking Banned Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 3,644	Hemp is illegal because it is a plant that can compete with most major US corporations.

01-10-2007, 12:19 PM	#13
NinjaSteve Too lazy to set a custom title Industry Role: Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 11,089	Who cares, it's just money. __________________ ...

01-10-2007, 12:48 PM	#15
starpimps Confirmed User Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: internets Posts: 6,954	come to canada... __________________ Teen Porn Models / Solo Girls

01-10-2007, 07:56 PM	#16
reynold Too lazy to set a custom title Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Global Traveler Posts: 51,271	Who knows where the rest of the money goes.

01-10-2007, 07:58 PM	#17
BigCashCrew Registered User Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 3,570	Playboy magazine has some great articles on this kind of thing pretty often. It's a fucking joke.