Prodigious Hemp

ABSTRACT: Hemp-Info has decided to rent a large farm in Morat, surrounded by 21 hectares of land out of which 5 are cultivated with hemp. This was also in order to profit from the dynamism of the Expo 2002, in order to present hemp and its numerous applications, in Switzerland and abroad. The farm has been rented with a long-term lease so as to amortize the investments. Different kinds of research are being carried out. Presently, Hemp-Info employs about 20 persons, some of them part-time, and André Fürst, the general manager, receives me in his office.

First of all, what is hemp? The Webster’s describes it as a "tall, widely cultivated Asian herb of the mulberry family, with tough bast fiber used especially for cordage and for its seeds". In this article, we will be discussing the European variety of hemp, not the Indian variety of Cannabis sativa, out of which haschisch and marihuana are made. Hemp is in fact an all-round useful plant and we will discover its many applications.

I.H: What is the difference between Hamp-Info and other associations, how did you establish your credibility?

A.F: We only produce hemp for industrial and medical purposes. Most companies or hemp shops are only interested in selling hemp flowers containing a maximum of D-9-THC, that is, the psychoactive substance. In my research, this substance is not relevant, since we are looking for other effects in the plant. Cannabinoids such as cannabinol and cannabidiol produce different effects, they are not psychoactive and they can be very useful for patients suffering from chronic pains, for example, as the cannabinoids act together in synergy. The "lightheadedness" effect is an undesirable "side-effect" which can lead to a state of disorientation and perhaps loss of coordination, depending on the dosage and the individual’s reaction.

I.H: What made you get interested in hemp in the first place?

A.F: Well, it was due to an unjust accusation - this is how it happened: One day, as I was quietly sitting on a public bench, with reddened eyes (my girl friend had left me...) the police came up to me and checked my personals. They found 1.8 grams of hemp on me, and believe it or not, they confiscated my driving license! I had to fight all the way up to the Federal Tribunal, and I won the case in the end. They ruled that since I had not participated in any traffic nor had I been driving, there was no justification in taking away my license. Meantime, I had had time to enquire about the laws on hemp and I started giving advice to some youngsters who often got together for a drink, a laugh and an occasional joint at a small "bistro" by the lakeside. They were being harassed by the police ever since a new prefect had been elected who wanted to be tough. The law should apply equally to all, not only in the German part of Switzerland, but also in the French speaking part, otherwise this is discrimination. These last 25 years, there have been close to 300’000 condemnations, and most of these did not need to be penal. In my view, all hemp cases are benign cases. This situation led me to examine the question of hemp, and one thing led to another.

I.H: Can you show me the premises of Hemp-Info?

A.F: The farm is being completely transformed: we are in the process of building an exhibition room to show the diversified uses of hemp, a refreshment bar, a shop where we will be selling products made from hem, workshops, an administrative office of about 30 square meters, a computer-space for Powerpoint presentations and a computer to surf on Internet, an all-purpose space (we are thinking about fashion shows for instance or other such events), showers, sanitary facilities including WC for handicapped persons. The former silos will be used as cold rooms and freezers to store perishable products. A laboratory is also in preparation, to do research on hemp. All of this should be operational in May 2002. These installations have required a lot of investments and right now, our priority is the infrastructure around the exhitibs.

Inside the farm, we have restored an old thresher machine "Agrar Rauschenbach" of the Fribourg region, thanks to the help of an old farmer who still knew how to use it and who told us that agriculturists used to cultivate hemp and harvest it until the sixties. The miller would lend his machine in turn to every farmer who needed to harvest his field. This thresher will be set up in the field outside where visitors will see it functioning, being pulled by a tractor using bio-diesel made from hemp. There is another machine we have rebuilt, which serves to take away the husks of the hemp seeds, a third machine still needs restoring.

We are also in the process of developing machines for large-scale industrial hemp harvesting because manually, it is way too expensive. Hemp can be cultivated as a single crop without rotating it, on the same piece of land, for several years in a row, because it fixes nitrogen. The plant also possesses natural insect repelling properties and among other advantages, hemp does not need insecticides or fertilizers, but it is sensitive to certain fungi. What we have on our farm is "biological hemp" although we do not yet have the bio-label, but we are in the process of getting it. The hemp variety we actually have on the 5 hectares is European hemp. We are also planning to plant small experimental plots with a wide variety of hemp, including the one who gets subsidies from the Confederation and other varieties grown all over the world, to assess their differences. The commercial value of the grown up plant is not high, it becomes more valuable only after harvest and conditioning.

Cultivating hemp can also be done in boxes and then the seedlings are put into flowerpots and protected from the frost in greenhouses. It’s not the size of the plant which is relevant rather than the harvest, which is determined by the season. Growing standardized varieties in greenhouses has given excellent results for medical products. It is well known that tropical climates have a boosting effect on the development of the active substances. In Switzerland, only one harvest per year is possible.

I.H: Where can one get objective information on hemp?

A.F: We have created a Website, where this interview will be seen. We produce mainly texts in French but also in German and English. However, we have concentrated more on French texts because of the huge resistance that France opposes to the publication of any positive information concerning the products of hemp. Over 1000 pages have been translated. To change misconceived ideas, nothing is more needed than correct information of the population. Our website is very popular: we have had approximately 5 million "hits" per year and the number is increasing. Any interested person can also read up on scientific studies, past and present, and order a copy of the corresponding publications.

I.H: You have said that hemp is one of the most useful plants on Earth. What are its uses?

A.F: Every bit of this plant is useful! We can extract hemp oil (from the seeds), a product of great value which is used in cosmetic, medical and food products, the essential oil is also used in aromatherapy, cosmetology and homeopathy. The oil is vapor-distilled to extract the volatile essences, recovered in a cold waterbath.

The dried plants which you see hanging from the "washing lines" are female plants only. Drying hemp is about as delicate as drying tobacco! You have to be very careful to eliminate the chlorophyll thoroughly so that the taste does not carry over into the products made from hemp. The moisture has to be evacuated quickly from the drying room with machines ensuring a rapid air turnover. The male plants have been used as pig food this summer, and they were delighted! The cakes from the seeds, with a high protein content, will be used as animal feedstuff (cattle, pigs...). Presently, there are 15 tons of hemp seeds in bags in our stockage room, waiting for oil extraction. The oil is very rich in unsaturated fatty acids as well as trace elements, so it is very useful for a healthy diet. With the surplus, we can make bio-diesel, fuel for tractors, for instance.

Hemp is also an excellent construction material. Exhibition booths and bungalows are being built out of hemp as raw material. The paneling is from hemp, the walls are made from hemp chips and cuttings, a byproduct when we produce hemp-fiber-isolation which has excellent sonic and temperature isolation properties, at a fraction of the cost of glass wool, the latter being moreover dangerous for health. The idea is to be able to transport and sell these bungalows after Expo 2002.

Another use is making flour from hemp cake seeds, and this flour can be mixed in with regular flour to make bread and pasta. With its high fiber content it contributes to maintaining health and a good bowel movement. Hemp-Info produces drinks such as "Cannabul", a lemonade which incorporates essential hemp oil, and a dark hemp beer: "A l’Aven".

I.H: What are the therapeutic indications of hemp?

A.F: At present, approximately 40’000 scientific studies are being carried out worldwide, regarding health problems such as high blood pressure, heart diseases, glaucoma, chronic pain, multiple sclerosis, vascular diseases, migraines, insomnia and sleeping problems, and as an anti-stressor. Our hemp is also exported in order to extract THC for medical purposes, used to produce a semi-synthetic molecule based on whole shredded hemp plants. This medicine, which is much more expensive than natural hemp, of course guarantees immense benefits to the pharmaceutical companies! If we were to use flowers for the same purpose, only 50 kg would be necessary, instead of several tons of raw material for extraction!

Another unexplored resource could be the root of hemp, which is believed to contain a natural antibiotic. This is one of the interesting leads we will also study in our laboratory.

I.H: What is your link with Expo 2002?

A.F: Eight years ago, we had sent in our application to participate, and it had been turned down. Since then, mentalities have changed and today the situation would undoubtedly be different. We have simply decided to benefit marginally from the numerous visitors who will inevitably come to the Expo 2002 area, to present in Morat the products and uses of hemp on our farm, in an attractive and interactive way, in order to attract all types of public - we will also be doing our own publicity. We believe many persons will drop in for a visit, while they go and visit the "Arteplages". Visitors will be able to stay overnight in the bungalows or Teepees we are setting up on the farm’s premises, because hotels and camping sites will be full.

I.H: What are Hemp-Info’s future developments and projects?

A.F: If I had not invested in the exhibition premises because of Expo 2002, I would have gone to China, because I have received an offer for a joint venture. I have certain knowledge which is interesting for them, and they have patents who are interesting for us. Within the framework of a technological exchange of information and knowledge, the Chinese will be buying the havesting machines we are in the process of developing. The actual machines for harvest are not suited for hemp, because its fibers twist around and get stuck. The Chinese are planning to produce paper from hemp as a raw material and textiles, as well, at very competitive prices. It must be said again: hemp is an ideal plant, it needs no pesticides or herbicides or fertilizers, contrary to cotton, which consumes 50% of the world’s production of herbicides and pesticides, and 30% of the world’s production of fertilizers, leading to a catastrophic situation for the environment.

Another project is setting up an information center in the farm, for all those who are interested in using hemp for therapeutic purposes: helping them to find the best individual system and use while avoiding undesirable side-effects.

I.H: In which events have you already participated in the past?

A.F: At the Expo Comptoir de Lausanne in 2000, presenting about 350 hemp-based products: clothing, shoes, bags, books, paper, drinks, medical products, cosmetics, soaps, oils, etc. The Museum of ancient agricultural methods, Singine Mednat, Lausanne, 2001 (we were planning to participate in Mednat 2002, but this project was dropped because we had to concentrate on the Hemp-Expo 02).

I also went to the Hemp Museum in Montjean, in the Loire Area in France. The Loire was a vast hemp producing region, from which they made the sails and chords for the big sailing ships that toured the world and came back with spices and other goods. This is what made the wealth of the whole area! The famous Loire castles were financed with this hemp! Sadly, France seems to suffer from amnesia... Hemp was known and cultivated all over Europe, it has to be reintroduced because of all its qualities.

There’s also a ship with an itinerant exhibition on hemp, which is presently touring the world (it’s sponsored by the Hemp Museum of Amsterdam). They are presenting pictures of our installations here in Morat, and we share this information with our public and make publicity for them.

At the Carnival 2002 in Morat, one of the participating floats represented the theme of hemp. It showed, in a humorous way, the inextricable legal mix-ups and imbroglios around production and consumption of hemp in Switzerland. I was quite amused by the personage who was representing me and the content of the message illustrated the importance of the topic. I hope that in the near future, the situation will be legalized and de-dramatized and I am certain that Hemp-Info will be instrumental in making an important contribution towards these changes.

I.H: Thank you for your time, I wish you a great Hemp-Expo 02 with lots of visitors interested in discovering the prodigious hemp, and much success for your other projects.