Curious about "Konoplya," a plant entangled in mystery and history? Dive into our eye-opening documentary that uncovers the surprising story of hemp, its demonization, and its potential as a modern-day miracle crop! Discover why this plant might just be the future of sustainability, and find out how it ties to everything from ancient caves to modern cars. Share your thoughts and subscribe for more intriguing stories! #Hemp #Documentary #Sustainability #History #Innovation
👉 This channel was created in collaboration with @kramola_online
00:00:05 - Introduction to Konoplya Documentary
00:01:02 - Hemp's Historical and Practical Uses
00:03:57 - Hemp in the Automotive Industry
00:07:36 - Industrial Hemp and Global Policies
00:11:16 - Leaders in Global Hemp Production
00:15:39 - Canada and the United States
00:28:52 - Conspiracy Against Hemp
00:35:28 - Historical Significance of Hemp
👉 This channel was created in collaboration with @kramola_online
00:00:05 - Introduction to Konoplya Documentary
00:01:02 - Hemp's Historical and Practical Uses
00:03:57 - Hemp in the Automotive Industry
00:07:36 - Industrial Hemp and Global Policies
00:11:16 - Leaders in Global Hemp Production
00:15:39 - Canada and the United States
00:28:52 - Conspiracy Against Hemp
00:35:28 - Historical Significance of Hemp
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TVTranscript
00:05Conoplia
00:05Conoplia. What is it?
00:07Devil's weed? A drug no less dangerous than heroin.
00:11But a drug is a substance, and a plant can't be entirely a drug.
00:16In this major documentary, you'll see many things about Conoplia that you never even suspected.
00:22We will reveal the whole behind-the-scenes game that was used to demonize this plant.
00:27And the issue here is not about conspiracy theory, but about actual, real-life practice.
00:32And we will also look at the unique properties of this miracle crop, how it is grown, and what prospects
00:38hemp has in the near future.
00:40Let's see why. In the hemp business, it's not scary to get some bumps along the way, but you can
00:45also mess up just like in any other business.
00:48Although, if you have a good plan, difficulties are not scary.
00:52Maybe very soon, hemp will once again become one of the most important plants on Earth, just like it was
00:59a hundred years ago.
01:00But let's talk about everything in order.
01:01You could talk for hours about the unique properties of this plant.
01:06Hemp fiber is known for its strength and resistance to rotting even after prolonged exposure to water,
01:12which is why it has long been considered the best material for ropes, cords, fishing gear, sacks, canvas, and sails.
01:20The English words for canvas and sailcloth actually come from the Dutch word for hemp.
01:26In English, industrial hemp is referred to as hemp.
01:30The word for hemp is denoted by the term hemp.
01:34It originates from an Old English word, which in turn comes from a Scythian equivalent.
01:38According to Grimm's law, the sound ha in different languages freely changes to ka and back.
01:45Thus, this Russian word niyab means hemp.
01:49And even the Greek word cannabis with the root kanab has the same Indo-European linguistic origins.
01:57And here is another hemp greeting from ancient times.
02:0030 kilometers from the city of Aurangabad in India,
02:03there is a United Nations educational, scientific, and cultural organization World Heritage Site,
02:08the group of sacred caves of El Lor.
02:10The drawings and sculptures in the newer structures are not as well preserved as those in the older ones.
02:16The thing is, the ancient builders added 10% hemp to the plaster mix,
02:21which regulates the humidity in the caves, repels harmful insects,
02:26absorbs sound, and retains heat better.
02:29Thus, in the early caves of Elora, a special microclimate was formed thanks to the hemp.
02:35But in the later structures, plaster without hemp was used,
02:39which over time led to the deterioration of the paintings and sculptures.
02:43Hemp fiber is 10 times stronger than cotton,
02:46and can be used in the production of all types of clothing.
02:50Moreover, fabric made from hemp is much healthier for the skin than cotton treated with chemicals,
02:56which is how cotton is harvested nowadays.
02:5925 pesticide sprays cause the leaves to fall off on their own.
03:03And not just for harvesting, cotton is grown with a huge amount of pesticides.
03:0850% of all chemicals in the United States are sprayed on cotton.
03:13Plus, cotton only grows in a warm climate and requires huge amounts of water.
03:19Hemp doesn't require as much moisture, and it can actually grow almost anywhere.
03:23Not to mention, it yields three to four times more than cotton.
03:27Another quality that makes hemp especially attractive is its growth rate.
03:32In just 110 days, the plant reaches a height of two to three meters,
03:37which allows for several harvests in a single season.
03:41Hemp is the best raw material for paper production.
03:44Hemp paper doesn't require bleaching with chlorine.
03:47Methanol from hemp is a good automotive fuel.
03:51It is currently used for racing cars.
03:53Another way to obtain fuel is to use hemp seed oil.
03:57Some diesel engines can run on pure hemp oil.
04:00Hemp bioplastic.
04:03Back in 1930, Henry Ford made a car body out of it,
04:07which, by the way, ran on hemp fuel.
04:11Here's what he said.
04:12Why use forests and mines, which took centuries to create,
04:17if we can get the equivalent of forest and mineral products
04:20from the annual growth of hemp fields?
04:23So the relationship between the automotive industry and hemp production
04:26is almost as old as the automobile industry itself.
04:29The car was made of 70% cellulose fibers,
04:35soy, straw, flax, and hemp,
04:38and 30% resin-based binding material.
04:42The only steel element was the tubular welded frame.
04:46It ran on ethanol made from hemp or almost any agricultural waste.
04:51They wrote about it in magazines.
04:56But since in 1937 the cultivation of hemp was declared illegal in the United States,
05:02Ford, of course, did not start mass-producing cars
05:06that would depend on sharply restricted hemp supplies.
05:10And here's an example from modern times.
05:13American entrepreneur Bruce Dietzen built a car
05:16with a body made from a composite material based on hemp fibers.
05:20Take a look at these shots of the car being hit,
05:23where its owner literally demonstrates the strength of the body with his fist.
05:28Dietzen, who lives in Key West, Florida,
05:31built the car on the chassis of an MX-5 Roadster.
05:35The car was named Canna, hemp material.
05:38Because of restrictions in American law, he had to order it from China.
05:43Here's another example.
05:45The Kestrel Hatchback stands out not for its unique engine,
05:48but for its original body, which is made entirely from hemp.
05:53The material used to make the body turned out to be similar in its properties to carbon fiber,
05:58which is used in the production of sports car bodies.
06:02During the creation of the body,
06:03a technology was used that involved pressing the stems
06:06and then pouring biopolymers over them.
06:09The weight of the car turned out to be small compared to cars whose bodies are made from other materials.
06:16Then the Italians went further, and in 2019 they presented.
06:22The car's body was made from resin reinforced with hemp fibers and coated with water-based paint.
06:30In addition to the body, the sports seats and floor mats were also made from hemp fibers.
06:35According to the manufacturers, their goal in creating the car was to make an environmentally friendly sports car.
06:42To achieve this, solar panels were installed on the roof to power the onboard electrical devices.
06:49In fact, many manufacturers have long been successfully experimenting with hemp-based composites.
06:55Parts containing hemp fiber have been used, for example, in...
07:02Door panels made from hemp fiber were used.
07:06All these experiments are conducted by the company with the goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 40% or
07:12more by the year 2030.
07:15There's another statistic.
07:17More than 30 parts of Mercedes-Benz C-Class cars are made from hemp seeds.
07:23Starting with the E-Class, in 1994, Mercedes-Benz began adding hemp-based parts to more of its cars.
07:32But that's enough about cars.
07:34Let's move on.
07:36Cannabis is mentioned in almost all known medical books of past centuries.
07:41By the way, among other things, hemp can also be used to make good gunpowder, which is usually made from
07:46cotton.
07:47Many people already know about entire plastic continents that are now drifting in the Pacific Ocean.
07:53A few years ago, it was still called a giant island or a large Pacific garbage patch, but its size
07:59is growing, and now it can safely be called a continent.
08:02But imagine if all this plastic could be biodegradable, made from hemp.
08:09Hemp starch has long been invented for the production of fully biodegradable plastic film, used in bags and packaging materials.
08:18The demand for all sorts of hemp products has increased the acreage in Europe, and the number of stores selling
08:24clothing and other hemp goods is rapidly growing.
08:27In total, up to 25,000 types of products can be made from both industrial and narcotic hemp.
08:34Or you don't have to make anything from it at all.
08:36You can simply plant it on contaminated land, and hemp will absorb the heavy metals from the soil.
08:42Neither zinc nor lead will hinder the growth of hemp.
08:45In Germany, where land withdrawn from agricultural production accounts for up to 15% of the total land fund, farmers
08:53receive government subsidies for cultivating hemp there.
08:57Of course, non-narcotic.
08:59Hemp contains quite a few specific components, and the two most powerful and well studied by science among them are
09:06called tetrahydrocannabinol, or tetrahydrocannabinol, and cannabidiol.
09:12The first is a psychoactive component, and causes various altered states of consciousness.
09:17But the second one is found in industrial hemp, which is used in manufacturing to produce oils, urbex, clothing, and
09:24many other things.
09:26We'll discuss the unique substance cannabidiol later.
09:29For now, let's continue exploring the complex history of industrial hemp.
09:33It's also called technical or non-narcotic hemp.
09:37It is this type of hemp that is legally grown and processed more and more every year all over the
09:42world.
09:44It contains a negligible amount of tetrahydrocannabinol, usually less than 0.1%.
09:50In narcotic varieties, the content of this psychoactive substance ranges from 4 to 24%.
09:56The maximum allowable content of this substance in hemp varies according to the laws of different countries.
10:03The examples show that the percentage is 0.15% in Ukraine, 0.1% in Russia, 0.2%
10:11in European Union countries, and 0.3% in Canada.
10:15Smoking industrial hemp is the same as smoking sunflower leaves.
10:18The fields of such hemp in the territory of European Union countries are not even guarded, because they are of
10:24no interest to drug addicts.
10:26The Institute of Bast Crop's YUSO31 variety has been grown in the Commonwealth of Independent States European Union Canada, Australia,
10:35and China for 30 years.
10:38The content of the psychoactive substance in the plants of this variety is only 0.6 thousandths of a percent.
10:44At the end of 2009, two varieties of industrial hemp with zero content of psychoactive substances were registered in Ukraine.
10:53In Russia, thanks to selective breeding, non-narcotic varieties of hemp such as Surskaya, Vera, Nadezhda, and Omegadar were also
11:02developed.
11:03An average person might think that all these fractions of a percent can still be increased up to 100.
11:08However, such extraction is so expensive, chemically dangerous, and labor-intensive that it completely loses any sense.
11:16And you won't be able to hide marijuana plantations in industrial hemp fields either.
11:20The cultivation processes are different, and the harvesting period for industrial hemp does not coincide with the time for harvesting
11:27marijuana.
11:28Plus, in a sense, industrial hemp fields actually fight against marijuana by cross-pollinating it.
11:34A cautious viewer might say that this could complicate the work of law enforcement agencies in combating drugs.
11:41However, global experience shows the opposite.
11:44In countries where industrial hemp is already cultivated as an agricultural crop, there are no problems at all.
11:51All government control consists of monitoring the level of tetrahydrocannabinol in the leaves of growing hemp, and organizing this control
12:00is very simple.
12:01In general, the only sensible solution, which most countries in the world have adopted, is the simultaneous ban or restriction
12:08on marijuana with high levels of psychoactive substances and the legalization of industrial hemp.
12:14The total area of global hemp cultivation currently amounts to about 200,000 hectares.
12:19Different sources provide noticeably different information regarding the size of cultivated areas in specific countries.
12:26Nevertheless, it is possible to clearly identify the leaders where hemp has acquired the status of a strategic crop, and
12:33its cultivation and processing are a priority in the economic policies of both the government and private business.
12:39In short, when it comes to the production and processing of hemp products, four countries are leading.
12:45China, Canada, France, and the Netherlands.
12:49But of course, the details are interesting.
12:52This shows the global distribution of hemp cultivation, with China and Canada as the top producers.
12:58It also displays the worldwide production of hemp seeds.
13:01Here, France pulls ahead by a large margin.
13:05And here is the structure of global hemp fiber production.
13:08Here, the leadership is shared by China, North Korea, and the Netherlands.
13:13And finally, the last chart in this series.
13:16The largest share in the production of fiber and its processed products by the end of 2020 belong to China.
13:2455%.
13:25Let's start our review of hemp affairs in different countries of the world with China.
13:30According to the World Intellectual Property Organization, Chinese companies hold more than half of the patents and know-how related
13:38to hemp cultivation in the world.
13:40The incredible number of patents held by China scares Western pharmaceutical companies.
13:46They believe that the Chinese could become leading players not only in the industrial hemp market, but also dominate the
13:53medical marijuana market.
13:54The Chinese realized before others that hemp is an advanced agricultural crop, and they want to increase the cultivated area
14:01by about 10 times by the year 2025.
14:04And all this is happening even though the attitude toward drugs in China is far from liberal.
14:09They wouldn't have gotten involved in hemp cultivation if they saw it as a threat to the nation.
14:15In recent decades, hybrids of hemp have been developed that are capable of maturing in various climatic zones throughout China,
14:22from the harsh northern regions to the subtropical southern areas of the country.
14:26It should be noted that cannabis has been growing in China for centuries.
14:30In tombs, fabrics made from hemp that are 3,000 years old have been discovered, and it is believed that
14:37the fiber was the basis for the earliest forms of paper.
14:40Currently, China is the largest supplier of hemp fiber to the United States market, and Chinese-made hemp fabrics are
14:48considered the best in the world.
14:50The study of hemp became an important task in the late 1970s during the so-called strange war between China
14:58and Vietnam.
14:59The military wanted to obtain a fabric that could keep soldiers clean and dry in Vietnam's humid climate.
15:07The soldiers who wore cotton clothing had lice and infections, while those who wore hemp clothing did not have wounds
15:13on their necks, and their injuries healed better.
15:15There is also military footwear made from hemp. Its main advantage is the absence of odor, even after sweating.
15:23Now, the Ministry of Defense of China is planning to replace cotton clothing with hemp clothing.
15:27Not completely, but so that there is a blend of hemp with cotton for summer clothing, and hemp with wool
15:33for winter.
15:34Because if you mix wool with hemp, moths will stop ruining the clothing.
15:39Canada
15:39The sewn areas in Canada are the second largest in the world after China.
15:44According to the Strategy for the Development of Industrial Hemp Cultivation by the Canadian Hemp Trade Association,
15:50the area of industrial hemp crops is planned to be increased to 400,000 hectares.
15:56By the year 2025, which Canadians estimate will bring between 2.5 to 4 billion Canadian dollars in profit?
16:04As for marijuana, many people mistakenly believe that Canada has total legalization when it comes to weed.
16:11Since the substance was legalized for personal use back in 2018.
16:17However, as is often the case, there is one significant but.
16:22No one in Canada can buy, possess, sell, or use cannabis in unlimited quantities and in any way they please.
16:30For illegal handling of cannabis products, real fines and harsh prison sentences are provided.
16:36To understand what legalization looks like in a country that is at the forefront in this regard, let's list seven
16:42points.
16:43First, purchase.
16:44You can buy marijuana from the age of 18 or 19, depending on the province.
16:50Cannabis can only be purchased from provincially or federally licensed suppliers.
16:55Second, storage.
16:58Adults are allowed to possess up to 30 grams of dried marijuana.
17:02You can take the same amount with you if you are taking a domestic flight on Canadian airlines,
17:06such as Air Canada, WestJet, Swoop, and Flair Airlines.
17:11If the police find a large pack of marijuana on you, they will conclude that you are dealing.
17:18And for that, you can go to jail.
17:20The maximum prison sentence for illegal sale is 14 years.
17:24Third, smoking.
17:26As a rule, you can smoke marijuana at home.
17:29It is prohibited to do this in places where minors are present, in cars, and in places where tobacco smoking
17:35is also banned.
17:37In some provinces and territories, you can only smoke marijuana on private property.
17:43But even this can be prohibited by the landlord if you are renting, just like with tobacco.
17:48Fourth, growing.
17:50In most regions, you can grow up to four cannabis plants per residence for personal use.
17:56However, growing is prohibited in Quebec and Manitoba.
18:01The landlord can also prohibit growing cannabis.
18:04Fifth, exporting.
18:06Transporting cannabis in any form across Canada's international borders is illegal.
18:11This can lead to serious criminal penalties both within the country and abroad.
18:16This restriction applies regardless of whether you have a document permitting the use of cannabis for medical purposes.
18:24Many United States states allow medical and recreational use of marijuana.
18:28But when crossing the border, this doesn't change anything.
18:31For example, in August 2019, a Canadian woman received a lifetime ban from entering the United States and paid a
18:40$500 fine after cannabis oil was found in her belongings at the border.
18:44Moreover, it was cannabidiol, a non-psychoactive cannabis product, which she used to treat the painful side effects of scoliosis.
18:53Sixth, import into Canada.
18:56The government prohibits bringing cannabis into Canada, even if it comes from a place where marijuana is legalized.
19:02Seventh, driving under the influence of marijuana.
19:06Do not drive under the influence of marijuana.
19:10For driving under the influence of marijuana, similar penalties apply as for driving under the influence of alcohol,
19:17suspension of your driver's license for a certain period,
19:20confiscation of your vehicle,
19:21and a fine.
19:23The amount depends on the province and whether there are repeat offenses.
19:26In Nova Scotia, for example, your license is immediately suspended for a year, even after the first offense.
19:33The mechanism for cultivating industrial hemp crops in the country is not clearly defined.
19:39As a result, there are restrictions on hemp cultivation at the federal level.
19:43The country is the world's largest importer of hemp raw materials.
19:47And the imported raw materials must meet the strict requirements of American law regarding the presence of psychoactive components.
19:55The efforts of municipal authorities in the states of North Dakota, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Oregon, California, Montana, West Virginia,
20:06and Vermont
20:07are aimed at lifting restrictions on the cultivation of industrial hemp crops.
20:11They face opposition from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration.
20:16Nevertheless, in recent years, United States farms specializing in the cultivation of industrial hemp have taken a prominent position in
20:25the international hemp market.
20:27Regulatory legal acts have been adopted that govern the cultivation of hemp on their territory.
20:33Now, in many states, significant areas of industrial hemp are already being legally cultivated.
20:39Naturally, this led to a corresponding advertising campaign and the entry of national agricultural producers into the American market,
20:47whose raw material costs are lower than those of imported hemp from Canada, Chile, China, or European Union countries.
20:55But of course, America is famous not only for industrial hemp.
20:59Along with Canada, this country is a world leader in the legal production of marijuana.
21:04The unfortunate year 2020 hit many business sectors, but the marijuana market in the United States only grew stronger during
21:12the pandemic.
21:13The annual income from legal cannabis sales reached a record $17.5 billion.
21:19And that's despite the fact that marijuana is banned at the federal level.
21:23In 2019, 67% of the adult population in America supported the legalization of marijuana.
21:30This is the highest figure in United States history, and twice as much as it was 20 years ago.
21:37Marijuana and business are actively supported by many American celebrities.
21:41Elon Musk, Stephen King, Elijah Wood, Miley Cyrus, Jennifer Aniston.
21:47The list could go on for a long time.
21:49Financier George Soros donated millions of dollars to organizations advocating for legalization in the 90s.
21:56And Kamala Harris, the first woman to serve as vice president of the United States,
22:01stated during Biden's election campaign that the new administration plans to legalize marijuana.
22:07The stocks of major cannabis producers immediately began to rise.
22:12Joe Biden became president, but he still hasn't gotten around to legalizing marijuana.
22:17On the contrary, several White House staff members who had previously used marijuana were fired at once.
22:24But supporters of legalization are not discouraged.
22:27Rapidly growing sales in recent years indicate a successful future for the cannabis market.
22:32For the first time, growing and selling cannabis for medical purposes was allowed in California back in 1996.
22:41Today, doctors can prescribe it to patients in 36 states, as well as in the capital and in four territories
22:47under United States administration.
22:50Medicines made from marijuana are prescribed for a wide range of illnesses, from cancer and multiple sclerosis to glaucoma and
22:57insomnia.
22:58Most often, these remedies are used as painkillers.
23:01However, many supporters of traditional medicine don't really believe in the effectiveness of such treatment.
23:08And one of the leaders in the cannabis market in the United States is the company Cureleaf.
23:13About 75% of its products are medical marijuana.
23:17A major co-owner of Cureleaf is businessman Boris Jordan, former chief executive officer of NTV and founder of the
23:24financial group Renaissance Capital.
23:26Another shareholder is the former head of Sibneft, financier Andrei Bloch.
23:31Investments in Cureleaf made Jordan a billionaire and brought Bloch back to the list of the richest Russians.
23:37In 2020, the company earned $626 million, almost three times more than the previous year.
23:45Boris Jordan says a significant portion of marijuana production investments come from people of Russian origin, with their money present
23:53in one out of three companies.
23:55About 80% of the market's production is made up of smoking blends and vape oils.
24:01The remaining 20% consists of various products containing cannabis, from candies to sodas.
24:08For example, marijuana is included in the composition of gummies, which an American company makes using real fruits and berries.
24:16During the pandemic, sales of these surprise sweets reached $227 million.
24:22Cannabis production has become one of the most promising businesses in America.
24:26Back in 2014, the market volume jumped to $3 billion.
24:32Since then, revenues in this sector have been steadily growing.
24:36According to analysts' forecasts, by the year 2030, the green industry in the United States will already be worth $100
24:43billion.
24:44During the lockdown in America, there was a real boom in marijuana consumption for relaxation.
24:50People were locked down and didn't know what awaited them next.
24:54They needed something to calm their nerves.
24:57As a result, marijuana sales in 13 states increased by tens of percent.
25:02For the American authorities, legalization is primarily beneficial because of the taxes.
25:07After all, official sales in stores, not on the streets, bring huge funds to the budget.
25:13In 2021, marijuana was allowed for recreational use in the state of New York.
25:19Simply put, for personal enjoyment.
25:21Governor Andrew Cuomo expects that in a year, legal cannabis sales will add at least $350 million to the state
25:29budget.
25:30Maybe after the decriminalization of drugs, the streets will become calmer.
25:35After all, thousands of arrests related to marijuana took place every year in the cities of New York State.
25:41Most often, it was black teenagers who ended up behind bars.
25:45Fewer arrests mean fewer conflicts with the police, plus savings on the cost of keeping convicts in prisons.
25:51In that same 21st year, New Mexico became the 17th state to legalize cannabis.
25:57Governor Michelle Grisham promised that this would lead to the creation of more than 10,000 new jobs.
26:03In just 2020, the green industry provided jobs for 77,300 Americans.
26:11United States celebrities are also profiting from the cannabis industry.
26:15One of the main enthusiasts in this field, rapper, is generously investing in various marijuana startups.
26:21In 2020, his venture fund raised $100 million to promote the cannabis business.
26:30Jay Z is also keeping up.
26:32The rapper Billionaire created a fund of $10 million to support black marijuana producers.
26:39The musician believes that representatives of racial minorities do not earn enough from legal cannabis, and the fund will help
26:47achieve balance in the industry.
26:48Well, former world boxing champion Mike Tyson has decided to establish his own cannabis empire.
26:55Since 2017, he has been building a giant ranch in Southern California.
26:59Guests of the narcotic Disneyland will stay in luxurious hotels, attend music festivals, and of course, smoke wherever they want.
27:08And meanwhile, Iron Mike is promoting his brand and claims that cannabis brings him up to $500,000 a month.
27:17Actor Seth Rogen has also invested in the trendy business.
27:20He is a co-owner of a Canadian company that entered the California market in March of this year.
27:26Customers are offered not only cannabis, but also themed products, ashtrays, lighters, and even vinyl record players, as well as
27:35records with a unique soundtrack for each strain of the branded product.
27:39However, don't consider the United States a cannabis enthusiast's paradise with total legalization already in place.
27:46Authorities still tightly regulate marijuana circulation, and in some states use can lead to severe prison terms.
27:52You can end up in prison just for transporting cannabis from one state to another.
27:57Many Republican politicians consider legalization a path to social degradation.
28:02They are convinced that marijuana is just the first step, after which people will inevitably want to try something stronger.
28:08Conservatives constantly talk about how dangerous frequent marijuana use is for young people, since its effects on the mental abilities
28:16and psyche of teenagers are not fully understood.
28:19In dispensaries, stores where medical marijuana is sold, there is a wide selection of cannabis products.
28:25The problem is that patients often have to choose the right product and its dosage themselves, and this can lead
28:32to overdose or side effects.
28:34Some studies have shown that regular marijuana use interferes with concentration and increases anxiety.
28:41In Colorado, after cannabis legalization, traffic accidents increased, and more patients sought help from toxicology centers after experiencing adverse effects
28:51from cannabis use.
28:52Now, let's discuss the most intriguing aspect.
28:55How did this conspiracy unfold?
28:58Why does such an irreplaceable and useful plant still have a reputation only as a narcotic?
29:04And what does America have to do with it?
29:06So, let's take a look at the chronology of the conspiracy.
29:10Let's rewind about 250 years back.
29:13And at that time, everything was great with hemp and hemp growers.
29:17In the United States, in the 18th century, growing hemp was mandatory.
29:21Imagine, from 1763 to 1769, for refusing to grow this crop, you could even end up in prison.
29:31In the United States, paying taxes with hemp was permitted until the early 1800s.
29:37George Washington, the first United States president, cultivated hemp alongside tobacco and wheat at his Mount Vernon estate,
29:44with the latter two crops being his primary sources of income.
29:47Dollar bills are still made from hemp cellulose.
29:51In the 1850s, LaVey-Strauss sewed sales from hemp canvas, the first American genes, in 1938.
30:01In America, hemp was called the billion-dollar crop because it was the first agricultural crop to reach a turnover
30:09of a billion dollars.
30:11In 1916, the United States Parliament expressed the opinion that, by 1940, all paper products would be made from hemp.
30:20Therefore, cutting down trees would no longer be necessary, since one hectare of hemp is equivalent in productivity to four
30:27hectares of forest.
30:28Such news could not have pleased the moneybags who got rich from logging and producing paper from wood.
30:35But there were even more powerful forces.
30:38At that time, the heirs of DuPont patented a number of manufacturing processes, marking the arrival and birth of the
30:46era of fossil energy sources.
30:48At the annual report, the chairman called on the shareholders, whom we'll talk about a bit later, to invest all
30:54available resources in the new petrochemicals division.
30:57Synthetic materials such as plastics, cellophane, celluloid, methanol, nylon, and viscose were decided to be produced from oil, gas, and
31:07other hydrocarbons.
31:08Industrialization in agriculture and innovations in hemp production would have destroyed the lion's share, more than 80% of DuPont's
31:17business.
31:18And now the shareholders?
31:19During these years, a certain Andrew Mellon became secretary of the treasury and the main investor in the DuPont company.
31:26But this remarkable man was also the owner of the sixth largest bank in the country and its largest shareholder,
31:33Gulf Oil,
31:34which in turn was one of the seven sisters of the oil company conglomerate that held the lion's share of
31:40the world's oil reserves.
31:41Andrew Mellon appoints his nephew, Harry Anslinger, as the head of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs.
31:49It is known that this group of financial magnates held a series of confidential meetings.
31:54The criminal group brought in the American media magnate William Hurst, who bought paper for his newspapers from DuPont,
32:01who produced cellulose from wood, and who also invested his own money in DuPont Enterprises.
32:07Together, they organized a smear public relations campaign, officially against marijuana, but in fact against their hemp competitors.
32:16Its main thesis was that the use of hemp was the primary drug problem, and that marijuana caused people to
32:23display extreme acts of violence.
32:25The oligarchs managed to push a marijuana tax law through the United States Congress.
32:30This law banned even the medical use of marijuana, and forced hemp industrialists to pay such exorbitant taxes that they
32:38simply shut down their unprofitable businesses.
32:41Further, the aforementioned Harry Anslinger, head of the United States Federal Bureau of Narcotics, putting on the mask of a
32:48zealous dogmatist, declared hemp to be a weapon of the communists.
32:52And he did everything to make the peoples of the world accept the ban on cultivating this plant, including all
32:59its varieties, even industrial hemp.
33:02Now it's fashionable to call such influence lobbying, but to put it bluntly, a few wealthy conspirators secretly banned the
33:09whole world from using one of the main and most useful plants on the planet.
33:13So, on March 30th, 1961 in New York, the majority of United Nations member states signed the single convention on
33:22narcotic drugs, which, in particular, required the strictest control over the cultivation of dangerous narcotic plants, such as opium poppy,
33:31coca, and cannabis.
33:32By the way, interestingly, cannabis, being a universal medicinal remedy, was included in the list of narcotics with no medical
33:41use, unlike opiates, which are still widely used in medicine.
33:45It was only in 1964 that scientists identified the ingredient responsible for the psychoactive effects, tetrahydrocannabinol.
33:53By 1967, it was understood that not all cannabis is the same, and the percentage of tetrahydrocannabinol in the inflorescences
34:01of the plant differs between industrial and narcotic cannabis.
34:05But it was already too late.
34:07A few years ago, an analysis was conducted on data regarding the share of mortality from various substances capable of
34:13causing addiction.
34:14As a result, it turned out that the most dangerous substance for life is alcohol.
34:19Cannabis use is somewhere in the middle of the list.
34:23But for some reason, no one bans the production and sale of alcoholic beverages.
34:27Nor do they pass laws that hit the alcohol business.
34:30But it is the alcohol business that actually fights against cannabis.
34:34He leaked information online about Alkalabi's fight against marijuana legalization.
34:39Leaked documents showed that the Association of Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of the United States of America
34:44financed activist groups aimed against the legalization of cannabis and also persistently asked congressmen, members of the Democratic Party,
34:53to investigate the harm from smoking psychotropic cannabis products in the right way,
34:58including lobbying for a ban on cannabis use by drivers in states where it is legalized.
35:03Look at what an amazing and touching concern for public health comes from people who produce alcoholic poisons.
35:11Even though a number of studies indicate that cannabis is less harmful to health compared to alcohol,
35:17United States President Barack Obama discussed the lower risks of cannabis compared to alcohol.
35:22Back in 2014, Russia.
35:26But what about us?
35:27There was also a conspiracy on the territory of our country.
35:31Let's take a look.
35:32As it is commonly said, the history of this issue goes back to ancient times.
35:37Let's start with the simple fact that all maritime empires needed a huge amount of hemp because sails and ropes
35:44were made from it.
35:46Before the United States became independent, the main buyer of Russian hemp was England.
35:52The historian Alexander Ertkin, in his book Nature of Evil, Raw Materials and the State, calls hemp the resource base
36:00of Ivan the Terrible's Oprichnina.
36:02In the summer, British ships would enter the Divina, loading their holds with hemp and paying with manufactured goods, broadcloth,
36:10scobiana, merchandise and weapons, which had a stable demand in the Russian North.
36:15During this period, the Pomors established both inexpensive and high-quality hemp processing, engaged in fishing and timber harvesting, alternating
36:24these activities depending on the season.
36:27When the ports froze, work at sea stopped, but hemp processing continued all year round.
36:32At the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, hemp took first place in domestic exports, followed by flax and
36:40iron.
36:41The main buyer was England, with the United States in second place.
36:46By the end of the century, the states were completely dependent on hemp and flax supplied by Russia.
36:52American ships had sails, ropes and lines made from Russian fibers.
36:57Russian hemp was considered the strongest and most reliable, and ropes made from it were valued above all others.
37:03In the first half of the century, hemp and flax made up a third of all Russian exports.
37:10In the year 1811, more than 200 American ships entered the ports of Peterburg and Arkhangelsk, exporting a record amount
37:18of hemp.
37:19Thus, the main exporter of hemp in the world turned out to be the Russian Empire.
37:25Forty percent of hemp production in Europe came from Russia.
37:28It can be confidently stated that the prosperity of an entire nation depended on hemp.
37:34Hemp had strategic importance right up until the decline of the age of sail.
37:38That is, until the middle of the 19th century.
37:41The Crimean War of 1853 to 1856 was the last war of the Russian sailing fleet, and demonstrated the need
37:49to replace wooden sailing ships with steam-powered ironclads.
37:53The first such vessel was launched at the London shipyards in 1859.
37:58By the beginning of the century, the share of hemp and flax in our exports had decreased, giving way to
38:05grain.
38:05Do you remember the old expression by which our country is sometimes called Russ, of hemp and flax?
38:11Since ancient times, the female hemp plant with seeds was called Materca, or Materinka, while the plant with male flowers
38:19was called Posken.
38:20After all, hemp is naturally a diocese plant, and also, where hemp grew, insects and mice did not appear.
38:28That's why, for centuries in Russia, roofs were covered with hemp straw, and the gaps in windows and walls were
38:34filled with hemp fiber by workers called Konopatelli.
38:38And even the expression, red-haired Konopati, came from the resemblance of freckles to hemp seeds.
38:44The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics also considered hemp as one of the main agricultural crops.
38:51Its crops in 1936 amounted to 680,000 hectares, which at that time was neither much nor little, one-fourth
39:00of the world's total area under hemp.
39:03By party decisions at the highest level, special benefits and advantages were provided to peasants for sowing hemp on homestead,
39:10household and floodplain lands.
39:14Dennis Pektor managed to grow such tall hemp that even the tops were out of reach.
39:19Before the global ban, there were about a million hectares of hemp crops in the world, with the Soviet Union
39:26occupying 60 to 80 percent of this market.
39:29Technical hemp was the number one export among all agricultural crops in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and often
39:36ranked third in export volume after oil and gas.
39:39Almost every village had a hemp processing plant where hemp was processed.
39:44There were many textbooks on hemp cultivation, poems were written about hemp, and it was even studied in schools.
39:50The status of hemp as the main agricultural crop in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was immortalized in 1954
39:58in the famous Friendship of People's Fountain at Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy in Moscow.
40:04The master of hemp cultivation badge is not a meme made in Photoshop for fun, but a real artifact from
40:11those years.
40:12And the phrase hemp harvesting combine did not cause silly giggles back then.
40:17It should be noted that the Russian Empire, and later the Soviets, preferred to stay out of the war on
40:23drugs until the very end, a war that began with the International Convention of 1912.
40:29The countries that signed this agreement were obliged to strictly control the use of narcotic substances.
40:36The Bolsheviks' policy did not provide for serious criminal punishment for the possession and use of cannabis, nor for its
40:44production and sale.
40:45It is likely that the authorities expected the problem to resolve itself once the country established the production of quality
40:51alcoholic beverages.
40:53In reality, drug production became the most widespread occupation among the residents of the Central Asian regions that were part
41:00of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
41:03When this became noticeable at the state level, by the mid-1930s, the authorities had already made the decision to
41:09ban the cultivation and sale of Indian hemp, as well as opium poppy.
41:14However, the ban did not apply to the industrial variety of hemp, which, on the contrary, was grown on an
41:20industrial scale.
41:21A decree was even approved by the members of the Central Committee to introduce additional benefits for collective farmers who
41:27fulfilled the crop collection plans.
41:30During the Great Patriotic War, the level of cannabis consumption increased.
41:35Partially, this was due to restrictions on the production and sale of alcoholic beverages, which were introduced by the leadership
41:41of the Communist Party.
41:43However, the increase in consumption was observed mainly among criminals and residents of those same Asian regions, so the situation
41:50did not attract much attention.
41:53The criminal code of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics still lacked serious penalties for drug production and distribution.
41:59All this led to the formation of a shadow marijuana market in the Soviet Union by the end of the
42:051950s.
42:06In a report by the Ministry of Internal Affairs dated 1958, it was noted that the largest scale of illegal
42:13trade in cannabis products was observed in the Republics of Central Asia, in the Caucasus, and in the south of
42:19Ukraine.
42:19The government took measures, and starting from 1961, corresponding changes were made to the criminal code.
42:27Now, for illegal possession and sale of cannabis, it was no longer possible to get away with just one year
42:33of imprisonment.
42:34In addition, a campaign was launched in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics to combat the theft of industrial hemp
42:40crops,
42:41the consequence of which was a significant reduction in the areas occupied by this agricultural crop.
42:46As a result of the measures taken by the government, by the 1980s, this industry was in a dire state.
42:53The restoration of previous levels of hemp production was planned for 1985.
42:591986, the leading breeders of the Union were actively working on developing exclusively industrial, non-psychoactive varieties of the plant.
43:07However, before that, it was necessary to sow the fields with the existing hemp, which ironically coincided with the anti
43:15-alcohol campaign.
43:17As for our recent history, the process of reviving the hemp industry was launched a little over ten years ago.
43:25The proposal of the state narcotics control ended with the adoption of a law on the possible cultivation of industrial
43:31hemp.
43:32Meanwhile, there is no discussion of legalization.
43:34In our country, marijuana remains a narcotic drug, for the use of which you can be imprisoned for a long
43:41time.
43:41The National Anti-Drug Policy Strategy states directly that the decriminalization of marijuana is an attempt to destabilize the international
43:50drug control system and, as a result, poses a threat to Russia's national security.
43:56In Russia, hemp currently occupies around 15,000 hectares.
44:01The hemp market is valued at approximately 3 billion rubles.
44:06There are only three major players, Conoplex from Penza, Ruskaya Penka in Mordovia, and Smart Hemp in Ivanovo region.
44:14Let's look at their specific examples to see how all of this looks.
44:18The Conoplex group of companies has been operating in the Penza region for more than five years.
44:24They successfully cultivate those varieties of non-narcotic hemp that are included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements and
44:32are approved for cultivation in Russia.
44:34The company also conducts scientific research activities in seed production and the development of new varieties of industrial hemp on
44:41a full cycle basis.
44:42The company also includes wheat, buckwheat, mustard, flax, and camelina.
44:47The company develops such varieties of industrial hemp as Surskaya Nadezhda, Vera, Milena, and Roman.
44:55Here, they have established a full production cycle from field to counter.
45:00That is, they are engaged not only in growing and processing hemp, but also in producing the final product.
45:06At the output, they produce 18 types of vegetable oils, dessert and nutrient mixes, various oil seed crops, including cleaned
45:16hemp seeds.
45:17The raw materials that go for pressing, as well as the oil at all stages of its processing, do not
45:22come into contact with the environment, which increases the shelf life of the product.
45:27The cold-pressed oil offered by the company not only matches refined oil, but also surpasses it in quality.
45:35For healthy baking, desserts, as well as various sauces, salads, and smoothies, gluten-free hemp flour is used.
45:42This product significantly enriches food with dietary fiber, minerals, and a number of essential vitamins.
45:50Here is another example.
45:52Agro-holding Mordovsky Penkozavadi is engaged not only in cultivating industrial hemp for seed production, but also in processing the
46:00stems into hemp fiber.
46:02By the way, Mordovia was not chosen by chance for the revival of the industry.
46:06Previously, the largest hemp processing plant operated here, founded in 1939.
46:12At the moment, the main types of products are rope and cordage items, as well as non-woven fabric, which
46:19is used as geotextile and interlog insulation.
46:21They also produce bulk insulation and analog of mineral wool.
46:26This insulation is completely natural and hypoallergenic.
46:30It naturally resists the formation of fungus and mold.
46:34These characteristics are naturally inherent to hemp.
46:37No additional treatments are required.
46:40This material consists of 85% hemp fiber and 15% polyester fiber, which acts as a binding element to
46:50hold it together.
46:51Visually, hemp and polyester fibers do not differ much, but hemp is stronger and more resistant to decay.
47:00Another product obtained in the process of processing hemp stalks is shivs.
47:04They are used quite widely in construction.
47:08Shivs are used as a loose insulation material that is spread on the floor of the first floor.
47:13They can also be poured between partitions and ceilings.
47:17Shivs can be used as a substitute for wood chips.
47:20When producing arbolite blocks, they turn out to be lighter, but at the same time stronger, which is also an
47:27undeniable advantage.
47:28Shivs are also an excellent sorbent, meaning they are capable of absorbing various substances.
47:35It can be used to clean contaminated soils containing heavy metals, as well as for the purification of wastewater that
47:42contains various toxicants.
47:44Shivs have a high sorption capacity, and one gram of shivs can absorb up to 20 to 25 grams of
47:51liquid.
47:53Shivs from hemp can also be used as bedding for horses and rodents.
47:57Many poultry farms use it instead of sawdust.
48:01In gardening, shivs have also found their place as a mulching material for surface soil cover.
48:08And for pets, this is an excellent material.
48:12For example, house cats will definitely like this kind of shivs bedding.
48:16Besides traditional food products like oil, there are items such as pasta, which can contain up to 30% hemp
48:23flour in its composition.
48:25There is also a product like shelled seeds.
48:29They have a very pleasant taste and resemble pine nuts, rich in protein, omega-3 and omega-6.
48:36Such a combination of acids is ideal for the body's absorption.
48:40There is also chocolate to which nuts are added, shelled hemp seeds and tea, which is made by fermenting and
48:49drying hemp leaves for brewing.
48:51Another extensive area for the use of hemp is cosmetics.
48:56Experiments are also being conducted in this area.
48:59A water-soluble suspension is obtained from hemp seeds, which is exactly what is used in creams and lotions.
49:05It has a very positive effect on the skin, restoring, regenerating and moisturizing it.
49:10The fatty acid composition of hemp oil is studied depending on the region where it is grown, whether in northern
49:17or southern regions, and on what types of soil.
49:20The oil can be used as either a food product or for technical purposes.
49:25Hemp oil has disappeared from industry, although it used to be used for natural oil-based paints.
49:32Compared to alkid enamels and other paints that contain a lot of solvents, hemp-based oil paints are more environmentally
49:40friendly.
49:41So, to sum up, hemp used to be a leading agricultural crop.
49:46Even the equipment currently in use is essentially the same.
49:50Just a more technically advanced version of the Soviet machines from the 1930s, which process the stalk and separate the
49:58fiber from the woody core.
50:00And after such a long period of neglect, there was no equipment, no technology, and no knowledge about processing this
50:07agricultural crop.
50:09Fortunately, the situation is now starting to change.
50:12They are even making a modern, that very hemp harvester combine.
50:17The company Rost Selmash has been testing a prototype of a combine designed for harvesting industrial hemp or fiber for
50:24more than a year now.
50:25And now, as a bonus, let's talk about what was promised, about cannabidiol, or as it is labeled in the
50:32West.
50:34What kind of thing is this?
50:35The term homeostasis, meaning balance when translated from medical jargon to Russian, is widely known.
50:43Our body, in many ways, lives and functions quite stably, precisely because it maintains a huge number of these very
50:51homeostases.
50:52For instance, the blood's acid-base balance, oxygen concentration, and numerous other factors, including hormone production and synthesis.
51:00When scientists studied the effects of tetrahydrocannabinol, they discovered certain receptors in the human body that respond to this substance.
51:10After further research on this issue, similar substances were discovered that, like tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol, can be produced by our
51:20body itself and activate the endocannabinoid system.
51:24Biologists saw that the internally generated endocannabinoid, which improves our condition, calms us, and causes many other effects, is very
51:34similar to the one synthesized from dietary hemp.
51:37Such a mechanism was discovered.
51:39When something takes a cell out of the homeostasis zone, various components of the endocannabinoid system are activated to regulate
51:46homeostasis.
51:48Receptors located on the surface of cells, in a sense, listen to the environment and observe it.
51:55If something changes outside, then according to this, a certain signal needs to be transmitted inside the cell, so that
52:01the cell does something.
52:03This is what triggers the so-called cellular response.
52:06But this endocannabinoid system can also be influenced from the outside.
52:11For example, cannabidiol has beneficial properties that were noticed not just ten years ago, or even a hundred, but a
52:17very, very long time ago.
52:19Many people around the world use it.
52:21The most common form of sale and consumption is, in fact, oil that is extracted from hemp.
52:28But in cold-pressed oil, the concentration of cannabidiol will be quite low.
52:33That's why biologists have learned to do what's called extraction, to achieve a very high concentration, so that you only
52:40need literally a few drops to get a strong therapeutic effect.
52:45All over the world, it is this extracted form that is added to various products, into chewing gum, pain relief
52:51patches, and even cosmetics.
52:54Scientifically speaking, it is an antagonist of the 5-HT1A receptor.
52:59Essentially, this is a serotonin receptor that a huge number of different antidepressants and medications target.
53:07Such medications help block the absorption of serotonin in the brain, thereby increasing brain activity and reducing anxiety.
53:15In a similar way, it can also activate the transmission of signals to the serotonin receptor, affecting mood and condition,
53:24and it works faster than medications and with significantly fewer side effects.
53:30So far, no side effects have been identified, while antidepressants and various components of the pharmaceutical industry have a huge
53:38number of very serious side effects.
53:40Most often, a person just gets more hooked on antidepressants than on any kind of cannabis.
53:46Through interaction with the so-called CB1 receptors, it enhances the functioning of the endocannabinoid system, which is responsible for
53:54regulating balance in the human body, which affects sleep, immunity, and psychoemotional state.
54:01So, by increasing serotonin levels, it essentially affects stress and anxiety, reducing autonomic arousal and gently relaxing a person.
54:11At the same time, it does not cause dependence and also affects a large number of different systems and processes
54:16in our body.
54:17When science discovered a very effective influence on the sympathetic nervous system, scientists began to successfully conduct certain experiments.
54:27Tests of cannabial on various diseases such as epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and multiple sclerosis.
54:35Well, now you know much more about cannabis, from its chemical properties to its areas of application and the mysterious
54:42history of bans and conspiracies.
54:44Will cannabis become the plant that changes our entire life? Or will the oil tycoons continue to push their agenda?
54:51Write your thoughts in the comments. Thank you for watching, and see you in future episodes on our channel.