The Debate Over The Legalization Of Hemp

Hemp can single-handedly improve our world 's environment by cutting down our dependency on timber, cut our use of water, and eliminate greenhouse gases. Forty percent of our forests are use to create timber stated by hempethics.weebly.com. As referenced

On of your local grocery stores should carry Hemp Granola. They might even carry other Hemp items. The imported products are extremely popular. Americas inability to produce their own products. Forces local consumers to buy forienge items. Creating a profitable agricultural industry. Will help the local and national economy. It will also create thousands of American jobs. These improvements would decrease our need to import. From other countries and eliminate the need to import Hemp.

One major issue with Industrial Hemp is its use for BioMass fuel. Believe it or not, but the energy that Cannabis stores during its growth can be converted into fuel after harvest. Many plants can be used to make BioMass fuel, yet Cannabis is the top candidate for its supply due to it’s abundance of cellulose and ease of harvesting it. BioMass fuel can be used for absolutely any form of energy, be it fuel to power an engine (car) or to generate electricity. BioMass fuel burns cleaner than petrochemical fuels.

Lastly, hemp may also be used to produce ethanol. The United States government has developed a way to make automobile fuel additive from biomass, and hemp is an excellent source of high quality biomass. One other way to use hemp as fuel is to use the oil from the hemp seed. However, even if we could produce and press enough hemp seed to power many millions of cars, the oil is more useful for other purposes as suggested earlier. Biomass fuels are clean and virtually free from metals and sulfur, so they do not cause nearly as much air pollution as fossil fuels. More importantly, burning biomass fuels does not increase the total amount of carbon

On October 1, 1937, the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 was enacted and it prohibited all forms of cannabis sativa. Although the bill was targeted towards the banning of marijuana and both forms of cannabis on separate ends of the sativa spectrum, there was no specification on which form was directed for the ban. Thus both were prohibited from being grown in the United States of America. In November of 2016, marijuana officially became legal to grow in all fifty states, yet industrial hemp is still currently legal to be grown in 13 states within the USA.  Hemp is largely exported to the US from other countries. It is imperative that hemp becomes legal to be grown around the entire country, for hemp will help retain the USA’s revenue by using hemp grown in America, has can be used for many different purposes such as clothing or food for example, has the potential to reduce American citizen’s carbon footprint as a substitute for paper and gasoline, and has no major threat to the industrialization of hemp in factories.

It’s the only thing that can.” Says Jack Herer. The benefits of Hemp are remarkable. Millions of people would benefit from use of hemp oil. The oil from the hemp plant has a cleansing-purification action on the human digestion, removing harmful toxins and food chemical build-ups in the blood supply.

Many knowledgeable people who know and understand the potential of industrial hemp are convinced that it is one of the world's most perfect products. Its fiber makes rope and cloth which is very strong and resilient and when used to make paper products, the production is far tidier and much more efficient than using wood to make paper. Hemp is indeed considered one of the world's oldest agricultural products and hemp has a history in the United States that includes the fact that the Declaration of Independence and the original St. James Bible are actually printed on hemp paper. The list of practical uses is lengthy and impressive, but due to drug laws in the United States the growing of cannabis for industrial hemp uses is illegal; this has been a source of considerable controversy in the United States. The uses of industrial hemp and the debate as to whether industrial hemp farming should be allowed in the U.S. will be reviewed and critiqued in this paper.

As the issue of legalizing marijuana remains complicated and highly controversial, a lesser-known yet increasingly significant side effect continues to transpire in the background: the suppression of its incredibly useful and diverse distant cousin, industrial hemp. Both marijuana and hemp have a long history in the United States. Unfortunately, because both plants are from the cannabis species, hemp was pigeonholed into a “dangerous drug” classification along with marijuana, representing the beginning of the end for hemp as a major agricultural asset to the United States. Industrial hemp contains no psychotropic qualities that create a “high” like marijuana. Considering that hemp’s

Cannabis is a plant that has been around for 38-million-years (Heilig, S., 2011). Before the 20th century cannabis had been used in a multitude of ways, one of which included medicinal practices. Up until the 1940’s Cannabis was listed in America’s pharmacopeia (Heilig, S., 2011). According to historical records, it was used for medicinal purposes dating back to 2800 BCE (Heilig, S., 2011). The tops, or flower of the plant are used for medicine or as a relaxant. The stocks also known as hemp, can be used in a variety of ways. Hemp is a renewable energy source that has the potential to replace fossil fuels without causing harm to the environment as it is biodegradable (Heilig, S., 2011). As well, hemp could be used for raw material to create paper and this could help end deforestation (Heilig, S., 2011). Not only paper, but it has the ability to replace plastic bags and styrofoam; this would be known as a hemp based cellophane (Heilig, S., 2011). Examining the plant further, cannabis seeds are a complete high protein and vegetarian food for humans, as well as livestock or poultry (Heilig, S., 2011). Hemp seed oil has the exact ratio (3:1) of essential fatty acids omega 6 and

Industrial Hemp has received an extensive amount of legislative attention in the past 20 years. Early Vermont legislation on the subject includes ACT176 (1996) requesting the commissioner of agriculture, food and markets as well as the University of Vermont do research into the viability of the industry, ACT222 (1998) urging the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to review the new Canadian hemp policies, and ACT333 (2000) “urging the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to reconsider federal policies that restrict the cultivation and marketing of industrial hemp and related products.”

It can be made into fabric that is “10 times stronger than cotton” (Ayers). Additionally, “The high cellulose level of hemp is perfect for make ethanol fuel production.” (Ayers). But it does not stop at fabric and fuel. The outer coating of hemp can be made into animal bedding, mulch, cardboard, fiberboard, insulation, and various types of filters. The inner fibers can be made into rope, paper, carpet, and canvas. When ground up and mixed with a concentration of citric acids, it produces a material called hempcrete; a building material that unlike concrete, gets stronger and firmer with age. With the bounty of materials that hemp can create, it has the ability to save our environment. If legalized, hemp would replace the need for cotton farms, lower the amount of deforestation, and reduce the demand for

Even though it has a few governmental issues, I think people over look how hemp is the most “safe” fiber for the environment. One huge factor that the public is not informed about regarding hemp is that only half the water used to make cotton is used to make hemp. This saves the environment tremendously, because the last thing the earth needs is a lack of more water. Another huge factor when discussing the debate between cotton and hemp, is that hemp produces a huge significant amount more per land area than cotton does. This could be huge for our economy. We would be able to use way less land to make the exact same products, just in a different material. Cutting down land usage for farming would be so healthy for the environment that maybe the earth could start to be revived to the way it once

With this, I also learned that in 1619, Virginia colonies required farmers to grow it. This was information that I had no idea about and I was really fascinated when I learned this. Some other interesting things that I learned was that there was a period of time where people were completely against the use of Marjiuana and even published a film called “Reefer Madness”. The film basically showed the supposed effects of Marjiuana and did it in a ridiculous way by portraying the effects of it as being very deadly, such as suicide. Scenes such as jumping out of a window were illustrated as a effect of the drug and caused a lot of controversy over the use of this plant and I had no idea about the film. I’ve learned so many new on the topic of weed that I have never known of before and what I found most interesting is how so many people are against the use of the drug when they do not even know the benefits there are to its use. Something fascinating I learned was that the use of Hemp can actually be an environmental benefit to the world and can help us as a source of energy. Help fibers can also be used as construction materials for items such as fiberglass, plastics, and materials that are

Industrial Hemp is an ancient crop, which has a multitude of diverse uses. The earliest uses of Hemp can be traced back to the Sumerians and probably even earlier in man’s unrecorded history. Industrial Hemp is not Marijuana though the two plants are of the same family and have passing resemblance to one another. Industrial Hemp’s myriad uses are being rediscovered and at the forefront of research in diverse fields. I will be attempting to dispel some of the myth, and providing history and proven uses of this amazing plant.

Throughout American history our country has come to rely on many different natural resources. With technology and the population increasing, the number of fossil fuel reserves and natural forests are going down. What America needs is a renewable source of fuels and fibers that will meet the growing needs of the future, but will not damage our environment. One of the most promising sources of fiber, fuel, and natural oil is hemp. Hemp, also known as Cannabis Sativa L, has been used in our country since the early 17th century (Schreiber 160). Although hemp is considered an illegal drug, many people forget that it is a part of our country’s history. Despite its negative connotations, hemp has the potential to revolutionize the paper,