hemp | show

Thomas Jefferson and George Washington were both big into hemp.

Both of America’s Founding Fathers grew hemp. The plant was cultivated in Virginia as early as 1607. Nevertheless, there was little interest in their production as they had little economic value. The Virginia Legislative Assembly enacted the necessary legislation in 1619 every farmer in the colony to grow marijuana to increase production.

An urban myth is that the Declaration of Independence was written on hemp paper; it was actually written on parchment.

However, the first drafts were probably written on hemp paper. The Founding Fathers wanted to get the wording right, and there would have been dozens of drafts before they were satisfied with how the language was worded. Since hemp paper was cheap at the time, it is very likely that these designs were written on it. It was like the post-it note of its time.

Betsy Ross’ first American flag was made from hemp. Hemp is a purely American plant, its cultivation and use have been a driving part of the American economy, and its history and use are closely linked to the history of the United States.

Industrial hemp is a versatile crop. It can be used to make paper, textiles, fuel, food, rope, and plastics. But due to its association with its psychoactive cousin, cannabis, this once powerful crop was banned and outlawed in the United States for many years.

The inclusion of hemp in the Farm Bills of 2014 and later in 2018 legalized hemp production as an agricultural commodity and removed it from the controlled substances list.

This has reopened industrial production of this wonder plant and may be a game changer for the US agricultural sector.

So how useful is hemp?

biofuels

In 1941, long before biogas stations became a niche market for hippies, Henry Ford, an American industrialist, produced a car that could run on hemp fuel. Bioethanol and biodiesel can be produced from hamp. While some studies downplay biofuels as a solution to climate change, hemp biofuels are more environmentally friendly to produce than sugar beet, palm oil, or corn. Additionally, industrial hemp is grown in any temperate to hot climate, leaving the soil in better condition than when it was produced (hemp plants help bring nitrogen back into the soil). Hemp is a cheap alternative to oil and an alternative fuel crop that can take money from oil and gas companies.

Hemp can be processed into building materials that create healthy zero-carbon buildings and reduce reliance on expensive resources.

When mixed with lime-based adhesives, the woody cores of industrial hemp plants can be processed into wood-framed panels that provide a strong barrier to heat loss and resist fire, mildew, and rot.

Building materials such as stucco, fiberboard, carpet, cement blocks, and insulation can also be made from hemp. While the use of natural materials like hemp and straw has been on the decline for years, these plant-based building materials are enjoying renewed popularity due to awareness of renewable energy and climate change.

Hempcrete or hemplime is a biocomposite material. It is a mixture of hemp shives and lime, sand or pozzolana. These can be made into interlocking bricks or poured around a wooden frame like concrete. While not as strong as concrete, this building material has a high shear factor, making it ideal in seismic areas. It acts as a carbon sink, is more resistant to moisture, and is a strong insulator. It can also drastically reduce construction times.

material

The world pays a high price for the cheap cloth industry, which pollutes the factory and operates in sweatshops. The clothing industry sees a lot of waste from overproduction to throwaway that people see cheap clothes with.

But change is afoot; According to California entrepreneur and environmentalist Rob Jungmann, hemp is the way of the future.

Hemp is easier to grow and harvest than cotton. It’s just as soft and gets softer with every wash.

It’s also eco-friendly. Hemp uses less water than cotton and produces more plants per hectare.

In addition, hemp returns nitrogen to the soil while cotton removes nutrients from the land, especially when not rotated with other crops.

In California, cotton farmers are struggling to maintain yields because of a prolonged drought. Could replacing cotton with hemp be the solution to the state’s arid soil?

paper

Paper production is harmful to the environment. By some estimates, the paper industry causes 220 million pounds of toxic pollution and more than three times the carbon emissions from aviation (about 10% of global emissions).

Hemp paper, on the other hand, is much better for the environment. It is naturally acid free and will not yellow or become brittle. Hemp paper can be bleached with hydrogen peroxide instead of chlorine. Forests do not need to be cleared to continue storing large amounts of CO2. Hemp is like grass. It grows much faster than wood and can increase yield per acre of land than slow-growing trees.

A few hundred years ago, most paper was made from hemp. This has been used for all sorts of things, bags, money, newspapers, maps, stocks and bonds.

meal

Marijuana has long been touted as a superfood, a little-known nutrient-dense wonder like chia seeds, coconut oil, avocado, and pomegranates. Hemp seeds are packed with protein and contain perfect levels of omega fats 3, 6, and 9. High in magnesium, potassium, and fiber, cannabis seeds help treat eczema, asthma, heart disease, and high blood pressure. There is evidence that cannabis seeds and oil can improve memory and fight depression.

Cannabis is one of the fastest growing sustainable energy sources in the world. More than 30 countries allow farmers to grow industrial hemp.

Now that the shackles of outdated federal policy have been removed, it is time for America to join the farming mainstream. Maybe hemp will be as American as apple pie again.

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