Hemp is Hope

 

Hemp is a tremendously useful plant that has been cultivated for over 12,000 years. The truth and history of hemp are making a come back. The more we learn about this plant the more we understand the importance of it in our lives. Hemp is used for sustainable products in manufacturing, agriculture, and wellness.

 

Hemp can be used for more than 25,000 products

 

Looking Back

Understanding the past gives us perspective on why this useful plant was outlawed for more than 80 years. Before the 1940’s US farmers grew large quantities of hemp for textiles, rope, paper, and the nutritious seeds. Farmers were encouraged to grow hemp during wartime and taxes could be paid with hemp! Physicians regularly prescribed hemp incorporated into medicines for various ailments. Hemp was accepted and prevalent before it was demonized by propaganda like Reefer Madness. It became federally regulated in the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 and was officially banned in the 1970 Controlled Substances Act.

 

It's believed the effort to control the production and distribution of hemp is both racially and politically stimulated. The ultimate blow to hemp cultivation was its federal classification as a Schedule 1 Narcotic. By this definition, it's grouped with some other alarming drugs for the potential of abuse, no medical use, and severe safety concerns.  Despite the dramatic campaign against it, hemp remains to be a valuable cash crop worldwide.

 

Hemp can help heal our planet

 

Grow Hemp

Hemp is a hearty plant grown around the world in various soil conditions. It produces very profitable yields making it a great crop for farmers. The tall fibrous plant grows quickly and requires no chemicals, pesticides, or herbicides. It is well suited for crop rotation and hemp can literally clean the environment. In a process called phytoremediation, toxins are removed from the surrounding soil, air, and water. For this reason, it’s important to make sure the consumable hemp products we use are tested for contaminants.

 

The 2018 US Farm Bill considers hemp with a concentration of no more than .3 percent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) legal. It allows industrial hemp to be grown in approved state programs. Each state that has supportive hemp legislation also has specific regulations that define its production. New legislation is being proposed for the expansion of pilot programs in many states but more education and deregulation are needed.

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Public opinion supports and legislators agree hemp is here to stay.

 

State Hemp Laws

Update 2018

Hemp and Marijuana

Hemp is in the same cannabis family as Marijuana, Cannabis Sativa L. (Cannabaceae). Although Hemp and marijuana have been lumped together, there is a difference in the use and appearance of these plants. Typically the entire stock of the hemp plant including the seed, stem, and flower is used for commercial/industrial products. Hemp does not get you high because of the low THC levels. Marijuana has a wide variety of plant strains with different attributes but overall it has a higher THC concentration. When marijuana flower is heat activated it has intoxicating, euphoric, and synergistic effects.  Both plants have many beneficial compounds of cannabinoids and terpenes. The superhero that everyone is talking about is cannabidiol (CBD), which is a type of cannabinoid that is non-psychoactive. Hemp naturally has high levels of CBD. There is significant and growing research on the safety and efficacy of CBD.  

 

CBD is an antioxidant, neuroprotectant, and therapeutic remedy.

 

Public support for the legalization of hemp and marijuana is at an all-time high.  From the evidence-based research to a wide range of uses, people want access to the plants and products made from them.  Clearly, it is good for the economy, the environment, and our health.

 

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For more information and articles visit:

 

 

https://nifa.usda.gov/industrial-hemp

 

 

https://purduehemp.org

 

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=cannabidiol