It's time to tell some things like it is. The US governments war on drugs has rendered one of the most useful substances on the planet illegal. I'm talking about hemp. No, not THC laced marijuana that is used for a recreational drug. What this blog is about is the cannabis sativa plant that has no effect on the mind when smoked. After studying on this I have discovered that for all the talk of coming up with alternative fuels and manufacturing in such a way as to decrease the stress on the environment, the government has totally misled the public. I'm going to outline some facts about industrial hemp in this blog.
Our history with hemp in the U.S. goes back to our nations birth. Both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew hemp. Ben Franklin owned a hemp paper mill, and the original Declaration of Independence was drafted on hemp paper. The word canvas is derived from cannabis. Hemp was used for hundreds of years to make rope, sails, and other useful components that were necessary for water travel, and it was a necessary part of agriculture in the colonies. In the 1940's, just years after effectively making industrial hemp illegal, the government made a propaganda film called "Hemp For Victory" which tried to coerce farmers into growing the crop for use in WWII. Hemp is bad when we didn't need it. But good, when we did. Interesting, huh?
The industrial uses for hemp are and have been widespread over the years. Henry Ford experimented with hemp to use for the bodies of automobiles. Rudolph Diesel actually designed his engine to run on hemp oil. Many of the Bibles printed around the world are printed on hemp, because it's more durable than paper and doesn't yellow. Shirts, pants, hats, and almost any clothing can be made from hemp and it will be more durable and cost effective, not to mention that will be more protective from UV rays and is more absorbent and mildew resistant than cotton. Producing many of our goods from hemp would reduce toxins that flow into the air and water, to a much lower level than we have with our current methods. Up to 50% of the worlds pesticides that are used, as used for the growth of cotton. Hemp is much more sturdy than cotton and doesn't need as much maintenance. Hemp can also be used to replace wood fiber, which will reduce our need to destroy the rain forests. There are well over 25,000 uses for hemp, including food, as it can be very high in protein.
Don't just take my word for it, do some research. The U.S. is the ONLY industrialized nation in the world......in the world.....not to be taking advantage of all that non-THC hemp has to offer. In a 1938 article, Popular Mechanics proclaimed hemp to be a "New Billion Dollar Crop". I urge people to open their minds. Why is the U.S. the only industrial nation not to rely on hemp for goods? Could it be synthetic creating corporations like Dupont have a strangle hold on our politicians? And while not the topic of this conversation, why does THC laced marijuana continue to be illegal, while alcohol and tobacco are staples of every day American life? Especially in regards to the fact that over 500,000 deaths every year can be directly attributed to drinking and smoking, while marijuana related deaths number......drum roll please....ZERO! More people die each year from taking an aspirin than smoking marijuana. OK, OK, enough of that......but I thought that should be thrown in there as a reference point. The government outlawed hemp because it's a relative of THC containing marijuana. Go back and read this paragraph again and tell me where hemp being illegal makes any sort of sense.
Again, don't take my word for it. I'm going to leave you with some web links that will allow you to see for yourself. Hemp can be a key to helping our economy and environment, thus making our country a safer, cleaner, and more profitable place to live.
http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Evils%20in%20Government/amazing_facts_about_hemp.htm
http://drugwarfacts.org/cms/?q=node/30
http://www.hempcar.org/hempfacts.shtml
http://listverse.com/2009/04/15/15-fascinating-facts-about-hemp/
http://www.globalhemp.com/Archives/FAQ/industrial_hemp_facts.html
"plant that bell and let it ring.."--Neil Young
Our history with hemp in the U.S. goes back to our nations birth. Both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew hemp. Ben Franklin owned a hemp paper mill, and the original Declaration of Independence was drafted on hemp paper. The word canvas is derived from cannabis. Hemp was used for hundreds of years to make rope, sails, and other useful components that were necessary for water travel, and it was a necessary part of agriculture in the colonies. In the 1940's, just years after effectively making industrial hemp illegal, the government made a propaganda film called "Hemp For Victory" which tried to coerce farmers into growing the crop for use in WWII. Hemp is bad when we didn't need it. But good, when we did. Interesting, huh?
The industrial uses for hemp are and have been widespread over the years. Henry Ford experimented with hemp to use for the bodies of automobiles. Rudolph Diesel actually designed his engine to run on hemp oil. Many of the Bibles printed around the world are printed on hemp, because it's more durable than paper and doesn't yellow. Shirts, pants, hats, and almost any clothing can be made from hemp and it will be more durable and cost effective, not to mention that will be more protective from UV rays and is more absorbent and mildew resistant than cotton. Producing many of our goods from hemp would reduce toxins that flow into the air and water, to a much lower level than we have with our current methods. Up to 50% of the worlds pesticides that are used, as used for the growth of cotton. Hemp is much more sturdy than cotton and doesn't need as much maintenance. Hemp can also be used to replace wood fiber, which will reduce our need to destroy the rain forests. There are well over 25,000 uses for hemp, including food, as it can be very high in protein.
Don't just take my word for it, do some research. The U.S. is the ONLY industrialized nation in the world......in the world.....not to be taking advantage of all that non-THC hemp has to offer. In a 1938 article, Popular Mechanics proclaimed hemp to be a "New Billion Dollar Crop". I urge people to open their minds. Why is the U.S. the only industrial nation not to rely on hemp for goods? Could it be synthetic creating corporations like Dupont have a strangle hold on our politicians? And while not the topic of this conversation, why does THC laced marijuana continue to be illegal, while alcohol and tobacco are staples of every day American life? Especially in regards to the fact that over 500,000 deaths every year can be directly attributed to drinking and smoking, while marijuana related deaths number......drum roll please....ZERO! More people die each year from taking an aspirin than smoking marijuana. OK, OK, enough of that......but I thought that should be thrown in there as a reference point. The government outlawed hemp because it's a relative of THC containing marijuana. Go back and read this paragraph again and tell me where hemp being illegal makes any sort of sense.
Again, don't take my word for it. I'm going to leave you with some web links that will allow you to see for yourself. Hemp can be a key to helping our economy and environment, thus making our country a safer, cleaner, and more profitable place to live.
http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Evils%20in%20Government/amazing_facts_about_hemp.htm
http://drugwarfacts.org/cms/?q=node/30
http://www.hempcar.org/hempfacts.shtml
http://listverse.com/2009/04/15/15-fascinating-facts-about-hemp/
http://www.globalhemp.com/Archives/FAQ/industrial_hemp_facts.html
"plant that bell and let it ring.."--Neil Young
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