Hemp is the same plant as marijuana, its scientific name is
"cannabis sativa." For thousands of years hemp was used to
make dozens of commercial products like paper, rope, canvas,
and textiles. Infact, the very name "canvas" comes from the
Dutch word meaning cannabis, which is marijuana. That's correct,
real canvas is made from marijuana!
Many years ago hemp/marijuana was unjustly banned. However, hemp
has recently been rediscoverd as a plant that has enormous environmental,
economic, and commercial potential. What follows are some fascinating
facts about hemp/marijuana - facts that will shock most people:
The potential of hemp for paper production is enormous. According to
the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, one acre of hemp can produce 4 times
more paper than one acre of trees! All types of paper products can be
produced from hemp: newsprint, computerpaper, stationary, cardboard,
envelopes, toilet paper, even tampons.
FACT: THERE IS NO TREE OR PLANT SPECIES ON EARTH CAPABLE OF
PRODUCING AS MUCH PAPER PER ACRE AS HEMP! HEMP IS NUMBER ONE!
Paper production from hemp would eliminate the need to chop down BILLIONS
of trees! MILLIONS of acres of forests and huge areas of wildlife
habitat could be preserved.
Trees must grow for 20 to 50 years after planting before they can be
harvested for commercial use. Within 4 months after it is planted, hemp
grows 10 to 20 feet tall and it is ready for harvesting! Hemp can be
grown on most farmland throughout the U.S. or Europe, where forests
require large tracts of land available in few locations. Substituting
hemp for trees would save forests and wildlife habitats and would eliminate
erosion of topsoil due to logging. Reduction of topsoil erosion would also
reduce pollution of lakes/rivers/streams.
Fewer caustic and toxic chemicals are used to make paper from hemp than
are used to make paper from trees - LESS POLLUTION!
Hemp can also be substituted for cotton to make textiles. Hemp fiber is
10 times stronger than cotton and can be used to make all types of clothing.
Cotton grows only in warm climates and requires enormous amounts of water.
Hemp requires little water and grows in all 50 states! There are now
many stores in the U.S. and in Europe too, that sellhemp-derived products
such as clothing, paper, cheese, soap, ice cream, cosmetics, and hemp oil.
Demand for these products - not even in existence in 1992 - is growing
rapidly.
Hemp naturally repels weed growth and hemp has few insect enemies. Few
insect enemies and no weed problems means hemp requires NO HERBICIDES
and FEW or NO PESTICIDES!
Cotton requires enormous pesticide use. 50% of all pesticides used in
the U.S. are used on cotton. Substituting hemp for cotton would drastically
reduce pesticide usage!
Hemp produces twice as much fiber per acre as cotton! An area of land
only 25 miles by 25 miles square (the size of a typical U.S. county)
planted with hemp can produce enough fiber in one year to make 100
MILLION pair of denim jeans! A wide variety of
clothing made from 100% hemp (pants, denim jeans, jackets, shoes,
dresses, shorts, hats) is now available.
Building materials that substitute for wood can be made from hemp. These
wood-like building materials are stronger than wood and can be
manufactured cheaper than wood from trees. Using these hemp- derived
building materials would reduce building costs and save even more trees!
Hemp seeds are a source of nutritious high-protien oil that can be used
for human and animal consumption. Hemp oil is NOT intoxicating. Extracting
protein from hemp is less expensive than extracting protein from soybeans.
Hemp protein can be processed and flavored in any way soybean protein can.
Hemp oil can also be used make highly nutritious tofu, butter, cheese,
salad oils, and other foods. Hemp oil can also be used to produce paint,
varnish, ink, lubricating oils, and plastic susbstitues. Because 50% of the
weight of a mature hemp plant is seeds, hemp could become a significant
source for these products.
Most hemp-derived products are NONTOXIC, BIODEGRADABLE, and RENEWABLE!
Unlike virtually all hemp substitutes, growing hemp requires very little
effort and very few resources. Most substitutes for hemp (sisal, kenaf,
sugar cane) grow in limited geographical areas and none have the
paper/fiber potential of hemp. Hemp can be grown in all 50 states!
Unlike many crops, hemp puts little strain on the soil and requires only
moderate amounts of fertilizer. Less fertilizer use results in less runoff
into waterways and groundwater; therefore, less water pollution.
Hemp produces more biomass than any plant that can be grown in the U.S. This
biomass can be converted to fuel in the form of clean-burning alcohol, or
no-sulphur man-made coal. Hemp has more potential as a clean and renewable
energy source than any crop on earth! It is estimated that if hemp was
widely grown in the U.S. for fuel/energy, it could supply 100% of all U.S.
energy needs!
Marijuana has dozens of proven medicinal uses. Marijuana is more effective,
less toxic, and less expensive than alternative synthetic medicines
currently used. A recent poll revealed that over 50% of U.S. physicians
would prescribe marijuana to their patients if it was legally available.
People who suffer from arthritis, AIDS, rheumatism, leukimia, multiple
sclerosis, cancer, glauocoma, and other ailments can benefit from
marijuana as medicine. But because of our insane marijuana laws, people
in need of this medicine are denied it. Marijuana is classified by the U.S.
government as a dangerous drug with no medicinal value, a classification
that is absolutely ludicrous!
Marijuana is widely accepted by the medical community as having numerous
provenmedicinal uses - it is NOT a dangerous drug.
Hemp for rope, lubricating oil, shoe material, and other materials was in
such short supply during World War II that the U.S. government temporarily
re-legalized hemp so U.S. farmers could grow it for the war effort. Hemp
helped us win World War II!
Hemp was a common crop that was grown legally in the U.S. for commercial
use until 1937.
Hemp was NOT banned because it was a harmful drug. Hemp was banned because
it was a competitive threat to the wood products industry and newly
developed synthetic fibers that were patentable, and therefore more
profitable than hemp. Corporations that profited from the demise of hemp
propagated a smear campaign against hemp by claiming that marijuana use was
a major drug problem (it was not) and thatmarijuana use caused people to
become extremely violent - another falsehood.
Unfortunately, these false claims went unchallenged and Congress outlawed
hemp in 1937. Unfortunately, millions of Americans still believe the lies
spread about marijuana/hemp.
On the eve of marijuana prohibition in the U.S., two articles about hemp
appeared in major U.S. magazines. They were:
"The Most Profitable And Desireable Crop That Can Be Grown" From: Mechanical
Engineering, February 26, 1937
"New Billion Dollar Crop" From: Popular Mechanics, February 1938
These articles reveal that hemp was on the verge of becoming a super
crop because of new hemp processing technologies that were recently
developed. Unfortunately, the potential of hemp was never reaped because
of marijuana prohibition.
Hemp is legally grown for commercial use throughout much of Europe, India,
China, Russia, Ukraine. In 1994 the Canadian government approved one
experimental hemp field - its first legal hemp crop in 40 years. In 1995,
there will be 11 government-approved hemp fields in Canada! If the U.S.
does not legalize hemp for commercial use, a significant economic and
environmental opportunity will be lost; the benefits will be reaped only
by our economic competitors.
>Literally millions of wild hemp plants grow throughout the entire Midwest
today. Wild hemp, like hemp grown for commercial use, is USELESS as an
intoxicant. It makes no sense to ban growing a plant that has enormous
economic and environmental potential, grows naturally by the millions, and
is impossible to exterminate. But yet, our draconian drug laws state that
one acre of hemp grown on a person's property can result in the owner being
sentenced to DEATH! That's correct, the DEATH PENALTYexists for growing
one acre of nonintoxicating weeds!
U.S. Presidents and founding fathers George Washington and Thomas Jefferson
grew hemp, used hemp products, and were hemp advocates. Today's political
leaders--as well as the public that favors marijuana prohibition--would
treat George Washington and Thomas Jefferson with disdain, brand them
criminals, and throw them in prison!
FACT: NO TREE OR PLANT SPECIES ON EARTH HAS THE COMMERCIAL,
ECONOMIC, AND ENVIRONMENTAL POTENTIAL OF HEMP. OVER 30,000
KNOWN PRODUCTS CAN BE PRODUCED FROM HEMP!
"Make the most of the hemp seed, sow it everywhere." - George Washington,
first president of the U.S. and hemp advocate.
This document is in the public domain. Please copy and distribute as much
as you can!
