What is Hemp and why is it illegal to grow in the United States? Well there are a few things to get out of the way first. The hemp can be confused with marijuana producing plants; however did you knot that are over 100 different varieties of basil around the world? "Strains of Cannabis approved for industrial hemp production produce only minute amounts of this psychoactive drug, not enough for any physical or psychological effects. Typically, hemp contains below 0.3% THC, while Cannabis grown for marijuana can contain anywhere from 6 or 7 % to 20% or even more." (Wikipedia, Hemp, 4th paragraph) Thus industrial hemp doesn't have any illegal uses, though I am sure that someone could come up with something. Would anyone care for the virgin joint? The problem is people do not realize exactly what Hemp is and what it is not. Visual association. We have a tendency to see something and think, 'oh, that's it' and yet we don't look any closer (what was Cinderella hiding beneath her ball gown?)
Hemp is fascinating it can be used for clothing, it can be used for food and the oils as well as other parts of the plant can be used for skin care, nutritional supplements and hair care. As I mentioned before the growth and production of Hemp is also more economical then say cotton.
It is one of the fastest growing biomass's that exists on the planet and is one of the earliest domestic plants known around the globe. The Hemp plant needs little to no chemical fertilizers (or any of that crap, that we don't really need anyone if we'd take care of the land properly), and it needs very little water. So inversion with me a hemp field, growing slowly over around 100 to 120 days. The little plants slowly get bigger, and the wind blows through them rustling the leaves. Storm clouds gather and rain waters the field, until the plants are large enough to harvest. Watch with me as nearly every part of the plant is used, the outer stalks for fiber, the inside of the stalks are often used for animal bedding due to their woodier nature and the silks for oils, papers, or other food supplements.
The production of wood pulp papers is still one of the productions that produces the highest carbon dioxide emission as an industry (it is second only to the production of concrete, just think how much of that is all around.) See here for more information on the production and bleaching of wood pulp.
Did you know that Hemp was grown in Asian more then 6, 000 years ago? It was the precursor to soy products and they contain three times the amount of vitamin E, twice the iron and magnesium as the flax seed.
Despite the fact that Hemp is three times as strong as cotton and lasts a great deal longer. Hemp can also be blended with other fibers (I mentioned the pretty hemp/silk blend on Dharam. Co.), slowly the use of Hemp is growing. The fibers from hemp are being added to make things such as jeans, shirts, pants, jackets, dresses, and other accessories (though so far I don't think we've had any hemp clothing submitted here. Most of the information in this article so far comes from, Living Touch - Hemp)
The United States is the only country in which it is illegal to produce hemp, because of fear. Other countries such as the UK, Canada and Germany resumed the production of hemp for commercial use in the 1990s; however China controls around 40% of the market. Hemp was made illegal in the US when Congress passed the 1937 Marihauna Tax Act, which was based in part on the testimony from articles in newspapers owned by William Randolph Hearst. It was stressed that authors and inventors had significant financial interest in the forest industry, which helped to manufacture William Randolph Hearst's newsprint. From the 1880's to around the year 1933 hemp was grown commercially in the US; however it's use and acreage began to decline. In 1935 hemp began to make a come back when Hearst started his campaign against hemp, pushes stories through his news associations about the ties between hemp and marijuana. The result of this push was that the industrial production and use of hemp in the US was discontinued. (Wikipedia - Hemp, Paper)
Did you know that Henry Ford grew industrial hemp on his estate after 1937? He made plastic cars (the so-called Hemp Car) with wheat straw, hemp and sisal. Filtered hemp oil can be used directly to power diesel vehicles, and in the production of hemp biofuel the seeds/stalks can be used or the whole plant can be fermented.
Hemp can also be used as a purification or "mop crop", it can clean out wastewater such as sewage and other chemicals. Research is currently being done by an Eco-technologist Dr. Keith Bolton from Southern Cross University in Lismore, New South Wales, Australia; he's using hemp to clean contaminants at Chernobyl nuclear disaster site.
Alright well I could write a whole separate piece on the historic uses of the hemp plant in the past from the stone age onward. If you're interested, see the Wikipedia article it's really quit fascinating.
Links To Web Sites Used/Or of Interest:
- Image: The above image was borrowed from Wiki; here.
- EnviroTextiles
- Fabrics.Net
- Hemp.Org, Campaing for the Restoration And Regulation of Hemp
- Hemp on Wikipedia
- "(HEMP HEARTS From Canada )" Best Source of Protein, Essential Fats, Vitamins and Enzymes 1lbs Containers
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