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HEMP: THE WORLD'S MOST
BENEFICIAL NATURAL RESOURCE? AMAZING FACTS ABOUT AN AMAZING
PLANT
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- On an annual basis, 1 acre of
hemp will produce as much fiber as 2 to 3 acres of cotton.
Hemp fiber is stronger and softer than cotton, lasts
twice as long as cotton, and will not mildew. Many textile
products (shirts, jackets, pants, backpacks, etc.) made from
100% hemp are now available.
- Cotton grows only in moderate
climates and requires more water than hemp; but hemp is frost
tolerant, requires only moderate amounts of water, and grows
in all 50 states. Cotton requires large quantities of pesticides
and herbicides--50% of the world's pesticides/herbicides are
used on cotton. But hemp requires no pesticides, no
herbicides, and only moderate amounts of fertilizer.
- On an annual basis, 1 acre of
hemp will produce as much paper as 2 to 4 acres of trees.
From tissue paper to cardboard, all types of paper products can
be produced from hemp. Global demand for paper will double
within 25 years. Unless tree-free sources of paper are
developed, there is no way to meet future demand without causing
massive deforestation and environmental damage. Hemp is the
world's most promising source of tree-free paper.
- The quality of hemp paper is
superior to tree-based paper. Hemp paper will last hundreds
of years without degrading, can be recycled many more times than
tree-based paper, and requires less toxic chemicals in the
manufacturing process than does paper made from trees.
- Hemp can be used to produce
fiberboard that is stronger than wood, lighter than
wood, and fire retardant. Substituting hemp
fiberboard for timber would further reduce the need to cut down
our forests. Hemp can also be used to produce strong, durable
and environmentally-friendly plastic substitutes. Thousands of
products made from petroleum-based plastics can be produced from
hemp-based composites. Mercedes Benz of Germany has recently
begun manufacturing automobile bodies and dashboards made from
hemp.
- It takes years for trees to grow
until they can be harvested for paper or wood, but hemp is
ready for harvesting only 120 days after it is planted. Hemp
can grow on most land suitable for farming, but forests and tree
farms require large tracts of land available in few locations.
Harvesting hemp rather than trees would also eliminate erosion
due to logging, thereby reducing topsoil loss and water
pollution caused by soil runoff.
- Hemp seeds contain a protein
that is more nutritious and more economical to produce than
soybean protein. Hemp seeds are not intoxicating.
Hemp seed protein can be used to produce virtually any product
made from soybean: tofu, veggie burgers, butter, cheese, salad
oils, ice cream, milk, etc. Hemp seed can also be ground into a
nutritious flour that can be used to produce baked goods such as
pasta, cookies, and breads.
- Hemp seed oil can be used to
produce non-toxic diesel fuel, paint, varnish, detergent, ink
and lubricating oil. Because hemp seeds account for up to
half the weight of a mature hemp plant, hemp seed is a viable
source for these products.
- Just as corn can be converted into
clean-burning ethanol fuel, so can hemp. Because hemp produces
more biomass than any plant species (including corn) that can be
grown in a wide range of climates and locations, hemp has great
potential to become a major source of ethanol fuel.
- Literally millions of wild hemp
plants currently grow throughout the U.S. Wild hemp, like hemp
grown for industrial use, has no drug properties because of its
low THC content. U.S. marijuana laws prevent farmers from
growing the same hemp plant that proliferates in nature by the
millions.
- From 1776 to 1937, hemp was a
major American crop and textiles made from hemp were common.
Yet, The American Textile Museum, The Smithsonian Institute, and
most American history books contain no mention of hemp. The
government's War on Marijuana Smokers has created an atmosphere
of self censorship--speaking of hemp in a positive manner is
considered taboo.
- United States Presidents George
Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew hemp, used products
made from hemp, and praised the hemp plant in some of their
writings. Under the laws written by today's politicians, George
Washington and Thomas Jefferson would be considered a threat to
society--they would be arrested and thrown in prison for the
felony crime of growing plants.
- No other natural resource
offers the potential of hemp. Cannabis Hemp is capable of
producing significant quantities of paer, textiles, building
materials, food, medicine, paint, detergent, varnish, oil, ink,
and fuel. Unlike other crops, hemp can grow in most climates and
on most farmland throughout the world with moderate water and
fertilizer requirements, no pesticides, and no
herbicides. Cannabis Hemp (also known as Indian Hemp) has
enormous potential to become a major natural resource that can
benefit both the economy and the environment.
"Make the most you can of the
Indian Hemp seed and sow it everywhere."
--President George Washington, 1794
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