Monsanto Marijuana Initiative Grows in Uruguay?

Removing The Shackles

Monsanto Marijuana Initiative Grows in Uruguay?

Posted: 18 Dec 2013 01:20 AM PST

Well, well well...... THAT certainly explains a lot, doesn't it?Monsanto Marijuana Initiative Grows in Uruguay?By Staff Report - December 13, 2013

Uruguay becomes first nation to legalise marijuana trade ... T

- See more at: http://www.thedailybell.com/news-analysis/34833/Monsanto-Marijuana-Initiative-Grows-in-Uruguay/#sthash.uz9pI0mj.dpuf

edited: 12/18/2013 10:19am:  comment from Judge Dale:Comment:  The reason Monsanto does not want farmers to harvest seeds from one year to be used to grow next years crop is because NATURE eliminates the GMO modifications. So the following years crop would be GMO free and that's healthy for people and bad for Monsanto's business!Monsanto Marijuana Initiative Grows in Uruguay?By Staff Report - December 13, 2013

Uruguay becomes first nation to legalise marijuana trade ... The Uruguayan government hopes legalising the sale of marijuana will tackle drug cartels ... Uruguay's cannabis bill reflects liberal past ... Uruguay has become the first country in the world to make it legal to grow, sell and consume marijuana. After nearly 12 hours of debate, senators gave the government-sponsored bill their historic final approval. The law allowing registered Uruguayans over 18 to buy up to 40g (1,4oz) of the drug a month is not expected to come into force before April. The government hopes it will help tackle drug cartels, but critics say it will expose more people to drugs. – BBCDominant Social Theme: This is great. Uruguay strikes a blow against prohibition.Free-Market Analysis: Are considerations regarding Monsanto's business progress in South America behind the legalization of marijuana in Uruguay?George Soros was a significant supporter of marijuana legalization in Uruguay, and Soros is reportedly also a big Monsanto shareholder. Here, from a recent Guardian article, published just before the bill passed:Rich countries debating legalisation of cannabis are also watching the bill, which philanthropist George Soros has supported as an "experiment" that could provide an alternative to the failed US-led policies of the long "war on drugs".

In South America, Monsanto has found it rough going. Its business practices have been questioned in Argentina, Ecuador and Uruguay. And it recently lost a lawsuit in Peru over its practice of suing farmers who inadvertently plant its windblown seed on their own soil.Here from Lab.Org, Uruguay:Monsanto recently signed an agreement with the National Institute of Agricultural Investigation (INIA). "This was done very quietly", says says Pablo Galeano, from the leading non-governmental organisation REDES. "Our job in REDES is to uncover these cases and, if we find something wrong, denounce it," says Galeano.At the same time as Monsanto has faced increased difficulty with its soy products in South America, the giant agricultural concern has been expanding its marijuana technology.Here from ChicagoNow.com:Is Monsanto Ready to Enter The Medical Marijuana War? ... As legally allowed medical marijuana becomes more widespread, it is no surprise that many are realizing there is legal money to be made off of this traditionally illegal cash crop.... With so many dollar signs hanging in the air, ready to be snatched, it is no surprise to see agriculture giant Monsanto may be getting poised to jump into selling genetically modified marijuana as well.... Monsanto GMO seeds are genetically modified to produce plants that are resistant to chemical herbicides, and the most commonly known one is Round-Up. The herbicides kill all other plants, but the genetically altered plants are able to resist the herbicide and are able to planted closer together than traditional crops allowing farmers to gain greater yields from the same amount of farmland.These seeds are known as being "Round-Up Ready," and farmers are required to purchase new seed each season for their crops. The company has pursued litigation against small farmers in the past for growing plants from seeds that were not properly purchased.In one case, a farmer received an eight year prison sentence for conspiracy to commit fraud against Monsanto because he saved seed from one growing season and used it the next without purchasing new seed from the company.The genetically altered seeds are also suspected in playing a large role in the 2012 epidemic that swept through commercial bee colonies. During this epidemic, nearly 50% of the nation's bee population was wiped out, with farmers in California being hit the hardest. It is suspected that the neonicotinoids that are bred into the seeds are causing the bees to die after coming in contact with plants that sprouted from the genetically altered seeds.... As the largest producer of GMO plants, moving into medical marijuana may seem a logical next step for the agriculture giant. US labs already use strains of genetically modified cannabis for testing and research, and the growing demand for legally obtained medical marijuana is sure to spike in the near future.It l