Hemp, just the word alone is enough to foster hours of debate regarding the pros and cons of this innocuous plant. It has most certainly gotten a bad rap as of the last century or so. In the United States,the war on drugs has convinced the average American that legalizing the growth of hemp crops will open the doors to rampant drug use and cause the downfall of America as we know it.

Hemp has been used throughout American history, and the fibers of this amazing plant have over 25,000 uses. Listed below are a few of the them including applications, and facts.

Hemp fiber ( Cannabis sativa L. ) is one of the earliest known woven fabrics, dating back to 8,000-7,000 BC.

The plant serves as a main source of essential food oil and protein for both humans and animals.

For the first 162 years of America’s existence, marijuana was totally legal and hemp was a common crop. But during the 1930s, the U.S. government and the media began spreading outrageous lies about marijuana, which led to its prohibition. (“Marijuana: The devil’s weed with roots in hell”, “Marijuana makes fiends of boys in 30 days”, Reefer Madness, etc.) It was banned in the USA under the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. In a blatant case of mistaken identity, industrial hemp was banned along with it.

A Popular Mechanics article from 1938 stated that over 25,000 different products could be made from hemp in oil, seed or fiber form.

George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both cultivated hemp on their farms.

Benjamin Franklin started the first American paper mill, which made paper exclusively from hemp, and the Declaration of Independence was drafted on paper made from hemp fibers.

The first american flag was created from hemp fiber.

Up until 1820 in America and the 20th century in other countries, an estimated 80% of all textiles and fabrics were a product of cannabis fibers.
It contains GLA’s (gamma linoleic acids), an essential skin lipid that promotes regeneration at the cellular level.

Hemp is being utilized to make biodegradable plastic.

Hempseed oil is a source of gamma-linolenic acid, an omega-6 EFA, and the omega 3s alpha-linolenic acid and stearidonic acid.

Hemp contains an abundance of vitamins and minerals like carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, vitamin B6, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and iron as well as being an excellent source of fiber.

Hemp fiber is the longest, strongest, most durable, most elastic and most absorbent natural fiber.

A hemp field produces a very large bulk of plant material in a short period of time. Yielding from 3 to 7 tons of dry hemp fiber stalk per acre.

It is a woody plant containing 77% cellulose compared to wood which produces 60% cellulose.

On a sustainable basis, hemp produces more pulp per acre than timber and can be used for every quality of paper.

Creating hemp pulp reduces the need for acids and its creamy color lends itself to environmentally-friendly bleaching, reducing the use of harsh chlorine compounds.

Hemp softens with each washing without fiber degradation.

Hemp planting reduces deforestation and improves the soil upon which it is grown.

The hemp plant is highly resistant to most insect and disease, largely eliminating the need for most (or all) pesticides and herbicides.

Hemp fiber is a better insulator than cotton fiber.

Compared to cotton, hemp is stronger, more durable, won’t mildew, is anti-microbial, shrinks less, is UV protectant and uses less water.

While more hemp is exported to the United States than to any other country, the United States Government does not consistently distinguish between marijuana and the non-psychoactive cannabis used for industrial and commercial purposes.

It is exported from mainly from Canada, France and China.

Hemp is the number one biomass producer on planet earth: 10 tons per acre in approximately four months. It is a woody plant containing 77% cellulose. Wood produces 60% cellulose.

1 acre of hemp will produce as much as 2-3 acres of cotton

Regarding the use of the Hemp plant as medicine…

Joycelyn Elders, MD, former US Surgeon General, wrote the following in a Mar. 26, 2004 article titled “Myths About Medical Marijuana,” published in the Providence Journal: “The evidence is overwhelming that marijuana can relieve certain types of pain, nausea, vomiting and other symptoms caused by such illnesses as multiple sclerosis, cancer and AIDS —or by the harsh drugs sometimes used to treat them. And it can do so with remarkable safety. Indeed, marijuana is less toxic than many of the drugs that physicians prescribe every day.”

We look forward to bringing you articles and facts on the uses of hemp. Stay tuned!

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