HEMP!

Hemp is one of THE most versatile plants in this world; not to be confused with it's laid-back, tie-dyed cousin - Marijuana. Hemp is the worker bee of the family. You can wear it; live in it; drive it; eat it; remediate damaged soil by growing it; the list goes on. Here's a short list, just to get us started...

• Hemp Paper
• Hemp Bioplastics
• Hempcrete
• Hemp Clothing
• Hemp Fuel
• Hemp Food & Drinks
• Hemp Animal Bedding
• Fried Hemp; Bar BQ Hemp; Hemp Kabobs...[just kidding][maybe some day]

The following is from several sites on the history, usability, and potential for this magical plant.

from the National Hemp Association...

The National Hemp Association (NHA) is a D.C. based non-profit, grassroots organization supporting all aspects of the hemp industry. We work  to bring to life all of the potential this crop has to offer: for farmers; for economic development in rural communities; for increased sustainability of products we all consume on a daily basis; and for American leadership in global industries and markets that are rapidly evolving to deliver the many valuable benefits of hemp to people all around the world.

NHA is rooted in the knowledge that hemp can provide a wide range of opportunities, from field to factory, and has a global Total Addressable Market (TAM) of 15 trillion dollars. Hemp has an important role to play in creating a better and more sustainable future and for hemp to reach its potential, we advocate for sensible public policy and regulation. We are also facilitators in building reliable supply chains by seeking out others we can work with to further our mutual objectives as well as connecting people and businesses to help them reach their individual and collective goals.

 

Hemp Facts and Statistics

Here is a short list of general facts about hemp.

• Hemp is thought to be the first domestically-cultivated plant, with evidence of hemp fabric dating to 8,000 years ago, found in Turkey (former-day Mesopotamia). Other evidence suggests cultivation further back , two thousand years or more.
• The word “marihuana” (now marijuana) was coined in the 1890s but not used until the 1930s by the U.S. Bureau of Narcotics (replaced by the DEA) to refer to all forms of cannabis.
• Hemp paper is stronger than wood-based paper and can withstand more folding. In general, hemp has strongest natural fiber of any source.
• Hemp paper, hundreds of years old (found in museums) has not yellowed and is thus a high quality paper of archival quality.
• Hemp can grow nearly anywhere in the world, in many types of soil — even in short growing seasons or in dry regions — and helps purify soil as well as kills some types of weeds.
• Hemp can grow without pesticides. The crop also kills some weeds, purifies soil, and is suitable for rotation use, due not to its short harvest cycle (120 days).
• Hemp is a high-yield crop. One acre of hemp produces twice as much oil as one acre of peanuts and nearly four times as much fiber pulp (for paper) as an acre of trees.
• Hemp has the strongest (and longest) plant fiber in the world, resistant to rot and abrasion, and was in use long before DuPont patented nylon in 1937. It was used for ship rigging, military uniforms, parachute webbing, baggage, and more.
• A hemp composite material (with limestone and water) forms a type of concrete (hempcrete) that can be used for home building, at 1/9th the weight. It also acts as insulation and repels some vermin.
• Levi jeans were originally made from hemp sailcloth (and rivets), for gold miners in California.
• Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company, created a plastic car in 1941 which ran on hemp and other plant-based fuels, and whose fenders were made of hemp and other materials. Ford had a plan to “grow automobiles from the soil.” (Note: a company in France is experimenting with a similar vehicle in current day.)

This humble plant could virtually disrupt entire industries: deforestation; oil-based products, esp. plastic and synthetic fibers; cotton; and several others - which is good incentive for those industries to lobby against the use of hemp.

The world and especially America should be producing hemp on an industrial scale. It will grow almost anywhere and instead of destroying the Earth and polluting the environment, it heals the land and the People.