HEMP FOR HEALTH Compiled by the Business Alliance for Commerce in Hemp (BACH). Hemp has a long, Proud history of medical use and hundreds of therapeutic applications. For more than 3,500 years, Hemp has been (depending on the culture or nation) either the most used or one of the most widely used plants for medicines. This includes: China, India, the Middle and Near East, Africa and Europe. From 1850 to 1937, Hemp was America's prime medicine for more than 100 separate illnesses or diseases. Research by Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, etc. indicates that when Cannabis Hemp is legally available, it will directly replace some 10-20% of all prescription pharmaceutical drugs and that probably 40-50% of all medicines could use derivatives of the cannabis plant. Hemp For Health - Medical uses of Hemp include treating back pain, asthma, glaucoma, epilepsy, cancer, muscle spasms, migraines, tumors, stress, depression and anorexia. It is an antibiotic and expectorant, useful in muscle ointments and to treat arthritis and rheumatism. Hundreds of other therapeutic uses are likely, but health permits are required to use it, and the federal government banned research into medical use of Hemp, so millions of people continue to suffer needlessly, and a valuable herbal medicine with minimal side- effects is held hostage by out-of-date laws. Cannabis users statistically live one or two years longer than non-users. Hemp offers affordable health care for America. Hemp Helps Children - Medicines based on hemp would be most beneficial to young children, bringing a lifetime of relief and ad ing years to their lives. Asthma symptoms could be permanently reduced. Hemp eases the symptoms of epilepsy and prevents glaucoma from developing, bringing effective relief to those unfortunate enough to suffer from these illnesses. Hemp for Cancer - Hemp reduces the nausea suffered by chemotherapy patients. This same characteristic has also recently been utilized by AIDS patients and is sometimes indicated for motion sickness (sea sickness). Hemp Saves Eyes - Medical Hemp would benefit some 90% of victims of glaucoma, a blinding disease. Cannabis does not cure it or reverse the loss of vision, but can halt the glaucoma sufferer's progressive deterioration of eyesight. Hemp for arthritis & Rheumatism - A traditional treatment for these ailments is to soak cannabis in alcohol and apply it locally in a poultice. Hemp Relieves Stress - Cannabis reduces mental agitation and ulcers. One out of two American marriages end in divorce and domestic violence is on the increase. Studies indicate that these problems often result from the stress and depressed sex drive associated with the fast pace of modern life. Hemp is well known for its ability to reduce stress and promote relaxation, and has long been regarded as an aphrodisiac, yet it is not available on the open market. Cannabis was withdrawn from the American Public in 1938 against the advice of the medical community. Hemp was moved from the Class 2 schedule of drugs (having demonstrated medical value) and listed as Class 1 (dangerous substance with no known medical value) by the Nixon administration in 1970-despite all evidence to the contrary-and was retained as Class 1 by the Bush administration in 1989. In 1972 the Nixon-appointed Shafer Commission urged that cannabis be re-legalized, which was not done. Still, medical research continued -often with remarkable results. Cannabis was shown to help treat numerous health problems with very few side effects. Eleven states went on to adopt laws authorizing prescription use of medical marijuana. More Research Is Needed - At the 1975 National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) Asilomar Conference, participants were amazed at the documented results of marijuana research and agreed that a massive national research project was in order. Instead, all federal research grants were terminated in 1976 and subsequent private research has been heavily restricted. By late 1983 the Reagan/Bush administration had destroyed large amounts of data compiled in government sponsored marijuana research and put out a feeler to private and state universities and others to destroy their own records. Most refused to do so. In September, 1988, DEA Administrative Judge Francis Young concluded that cannabis should be re-scheduled as Class 2 and made available for medical use. It has not been. Write to your representatives and ask that Hemp be re-legalized for use in America. There are thousands of other uses for Hemp: textiles, paper, fiber, food, fuel, medicine and more. For more information, we recommend that you read The Emperor Wears No Clothes, by Jack Herer and The Medical Marijuana Papers by Dr. Tod Mikurya. For more information on hemp or to support the re- legalization of hemp/marijuana, send $1 + SASE to: Business Alliance for Commerce in Hemp (BACH), P.O. Box 71093, L.A. CA 90071-0093.