Hemp draft paragraphs

I am intrigued with how Hemp, a product that goes back thousands of years with archeological discoveries dating back to 10000 B.C. China where they used it for food, clothing and shelter and as medicine became a substance that has been vilified and maligned and now is controlled by the D.E.A. Over 70 years ago Popular Mechanics magazine¹ called Hemp “The New Billion Dollar Crop” in which the article stated would create thousands of American jobs and replace imports of raw materials with American grown.  It is my belief that Hemp restrictions have been based on emotion not logic and the greed of wealthy men who used fear and smear tactics to convince Americans of the evils of ‘marihuana’.

The purpose of this paper is to examine and expose the truths, the history and the real story of Hemp.  The focus will be to critically review the myth and fallacies of what hemp legalization in the United States would mean to us. Thus, I believe the restrictions to grow industrial Hemp in the United States should be lifted because it is a legal product; I plan on showing how it is a vital resource to the world. I believe the U.S. Government should not impede on economic freedoms of its citizens.

One of the concerns that opponents to the legalization of Industrial Hemp has is that it is a gateway to legalizing marijuana².  I do not believe this will happen because marijuana is a drug and Hemp is a product that has major ecological, agricultural, and economic potential.  I agree some people who support legalizing Hemp also support legalizing marijuana but should we oppose it because simply because of that? That would be unsound reasoning; most supporters of hemp are manufactures, farmers, consumers and workers.  The hemp industry has evolved into one that has become focused on the agriculture and industrial products and potential.  Even under the 1970 Controlled Substance Act³, marijuana is labeled a Schedule I drug, while products derived from hemp- are explicitly excluded from the definition of marijuana and from the regulation. Under federal law, these products are legal yet the U.S. DEA control production and growth though restrictive practices.           

Currently the U.S. government spends millions of dollars on eradicating Hemp; they have a vested interest in keeping the product labeled a drug so that they may protect their budgets.  They call it their cannabis eradication program in which a large portion of their budget goes to destroying ‘ditch weed’ a remnant of the past production farms that doesn’t contain the THC levels of marijuana.  These funds could be used to fight real drug issues and criminals.  All the time and effort to destroy wild hemp plants could be used to collect valuable DNA of a plant that was cultivated and survived from the beginnings of our nation.

Resources

1.  Popular Mechanics, February 1938, pg 236, 239,244, copy located at http://hempfarm.org/BillionDollarCrop.html

2. http://www.snowspotmedia.com/2010/09/07/jack-conway-marijuana-is-a-gateway-drug-therefore-farming-industrial-hemp-should-remain-illegal/

Logical fallacies

I do not feel people as a whole are aware of logical fallacies.  Let’s look at the three main kinds of fallacies; fallacies of faulty reasoning, fallacies of relevance, or fallacies of language.  People use a Hasty Generalization fallacy [a faulty reasoning] on a regular basis and probably don’t even know it. For example: I have Harleys and they have all leaked oil.  All Harleys must leak oil.  Another common one is the False Cause fallacy which reminds me of superstitions especially when athletes don’t change a piece of their ‘lucky’ clothing and when they do and lose it must be because they didn’t have that ‘lucky’ item.  It is assume that the lack of one thing caused the other.

Ad Hominem is an fallacy in which they attack the person instead of the argument trying to discredit the credibility of the person. Ad Populum is the ‘they say’ fallacy such as our teenagers tries to use…’everyone else is allowed’ argument. 

Fallacies of Language have many examples using ambiguous wording or phrases confuses an audience to what exact meaning is being conveyed and usually is done on purpose.  Advertisers use this means quite often…I went by a sign that said ‘now accepting new patients’, this implies that they had stop accepting patients and now have openings but in reality they are struggling and need more clients.  Especially when it is an appeal to an authority such as a sports figure although they are not an authority on what they are selling yet the public buys into it.

Some fallacies still work even though the argument has errors because of implied meaning or the spirit of what is said.   Most political debates have fallacies of logic but work on persuasive appeal; people hear what they want instead of questioning the logic of a statement. Becoming aware and noticing fallacies helps not to be persuaded to accept ideas or conclusions based on emotion or poor logic.

Outline of Industrial Hemp Report

1. Introduction. Hemp restrictions have been based on emotion not logic and greed of wealthy men who used fear and smear tactics to convince Americans of the evils of marihuana.
2. Thesis- I believe the restrictions to grow industrial Hemp in the United States should be lifted because it is a legal product; it could be a vital resource to the world and the U.S. Government should not impede on economic freedoms of its citizens.
3. Historical Background Info- We can trace Hemp production back to 10,000 BC, China. It was considered one of their two main sources of clothing; mulberry and hemp. How did we get from there to modern day bans of such a versatile plant?
4. Statistics- What are the main categories for products and uses of hemp?
5. Refutation of challenging views- Is it a gateway product to legalizing marijuana? Would it lead to an increase in crime; such as marijuana producers using the fields as a cover?  
6. Appeal to logic- What does the restrictions do to the basic economic freedoms that this country is based on? This country and the world have agreed that we need to use green products (renewable products) and how does this product accomplish that?  
7. Appeal to compassion- Hemp is one of the most nutritious foods. Could is help end world hunger?
8. Evidence- Scientific and Ecology Facts regarding the growing and cultivating of hemp.
9. Appeal to authority- What legality does DEA stand on with the Controlled Substance Act if this is exempt? What other branches of government are involved with this issue? What is the stance of states toward development of industrial hemp as an agricultural product?
10. Conclusion

Assessment Posting: Rogerian

In this day and age, people are bombarded with others attempts to convince them of something such as the case in advertising. So I feel that people are more cynical and might not respond well to the Rogerian argument if they do not feel it is sincere.  They would have to truly feel that their ‘side’ is being understood.  This type of argument also allows the author to understand their own beliefs and where those beliefs are coming from.   I could see this type of argument in a political speech in which the author is trying to convince the audience to see his point of view, at first they might be defensive, but by bridging the difference gap with common ground they may be able to communicate it’s a win/win situation.   A situation that would be served well with this approach would be one in which the problem or objective was very similar.

Dr.King and Rogerian Model

King was trying to open a bridge between himself and his critics; by writing a letter he made it a personal dialogue instead of a manifesto which would be a declaration of his beliefs.  A declaration does not acknowledge the beliefs of both sides; it states the beliefs of one side.

He identified the assumption that the critics were “men of genuine good will…..criticisms are sincerely set forth”.  He wrote what he understood his critics’ side was and where they were coming from and then gave his side with his explanation (claim). He found common ground with the fact(s) that they were all clergy and they were all Americans with the desire for freedom.

He seemed un-Rogerian when he openly criticized other clergy for the lack of participation in the struggle for human rights, even saying their lack of action was worse that of any hate group.  I would believe Dr.King was trying to open their eyes to the fact that no action was similar to an approval of the immoral acts that were being carried out.   Sometimes to see the truth the veil of politeness needs to be removed; hopefully that is how his intended readers saw it. 

King used Aristotelian appeals throughout his letter.  His use of ethos is demonstrated when he show his credibility of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference  and further as a member of the human race who is willing to stand up for injustice.  His use of pathos is demonstrated when he gives examples of the damage that racial injustice is doing to the future generations of Americans and to humankind in general.   Finally, logos is demonstrated though the use of citations and quotes from credible sources such as Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson. 

 In his last paragraph he looks forward to meeting them as brothers in faith and to work together.  

Kings essay shows the Rogerian model by the Introduction in which he introduced his reason for writing which was “to answer criticism of his work and ideas”.   . He wrote about the different sides with their respective claims.  He showed both sides wanted the same ‘civil rights’.  He gave examples of why it was unjust laws were wrong and why civilized people should not follow them. The analogies of the Nazis and Jews to what was legal were very relevant to his case.

If King had taken a classic approach with a ‘winner’ and a ‘loser’ it would have further divided the opposing sides. Instead using this approach brought them together; everyone wins with communities that are whole and not divided.

Research Posting: Summary and Value of Sources

I have found many reliable sources of information which I am trying to sort through and make sure it is relevant to my thesis.

This source gives background information on what Hemp is, the history, the requirements to grow, and the feasibility of growing Hemp in the United States from a purely economic point of view. It gives me an ideal starting point for more in depth research for what is important and relevant for my thesis.

Ehrensing, Daryl T., May 1998. Feasibility of Industrial Hemp Production in the United States Pacific Northwest. Oregon State University. Retrieved from http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/html/sb/sb681/

Hemp as an Agricultural Commodity shows the difference in cultivating and growing Hemp compared to marijuana this will be helpful in refuting the idea that marijuana growers would plant and hide their crops inside a Hemp field. This report has all of its sources and many are of credible sites that I can reference for more information. This report also shows how Canada is regulating the product. 

Johnson, Renee. December 22, 2010. Hemp as an Agricultural Commodity. Retrieved from http://www.nationalaglawcenter.org/assets/crs/RL32725.pdf

Toulmin's method of argumentation vs. the classical method

The classical approach relies on appeals mainly and the Toulmin model on probabilities rather than absolutes. The classical helps you structure an argument in a way to cover the needs of your audience while Toulmin is good for analyzing arguments by requiring justification. Toulim’s is good for testing ideas so that you can see the truth and strength of the claim.Do you need to give background information first or can you jump right in to your claim? It would depend on whom your audience was and what you where trying to convince them.  

I believe most people use a combination of the two on a daily basis to try to persuade others. Probably more so the Toulmin because it's not so formal with no introduction or conclusion.