Well now that Earth Day is here, I figured I’d go ahead and say this; cannabis is good for the earth!
But before anyone thinks I’m advocating the use of an illicit drug, that’s not the case here. The variety of cannabis I’m referring to is industrial hemp.
First of all, hemp is not a drug by any means, and it’s been proven to be genetically different from its distant cousin marijuana. Although it does contain very, very small amounts of the psychoactive ingredient delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC for short, it is in such small quantities that it is impossible to get high from it.
So why am I such an advocate for the cultivation of hemp? Well for one thing, it has thousands of uses, many that have been used for centuries. Just to name a few, hemp can be made into rope, clothing, cosmetics, paper, food, biofuel and even car parts.
I happen to own some clothing myself that is made from hemp, and they have held up much better than cotton. My hemp jeans are over one year old and they barely look like they’ve been worn.
Hemp was also used to make parachutes during World War II.
As a matter of fact, the Declaration of Independence was written on paper that was made from hemp. Hemp can be grown in just a few months as opposed to trees which take years to grow.
Hemp foods, which can be purchased at many health food stores, have high concentrations omega 3, 6 and 9. There are also protein shakes that, in my opinion, are very delicious. By the way, according to hemp food producers, consuming hemp foods will not make a person fail a drug test.
Now to the issue; what really makes me mad is that, although hemp products can be legally imported into the U.S., growing hemp is still illegal because the DEA views it as the same as marijuana.
According to a press release from votehemp.com, Representatives Barney Frank (D-MA) and Ron Paul (R-TX) introduced a bill, known as HR 1866, on April 2 that, if passed into law, would remove restrictions on the cultivation of industrial hemp.
According to the release, Paul said “it is unfortunate that the federal government has stood in the way of American farmers, including many who are struggling to make ends meet, from competing in the global industrial hemp market.”
The U.S. is the only industrialized nation that prohibits industrial hemp cultivation, according to a statement introducing HR 1866.
Hundreds of years ago the federal government required certain farmers to grow the crop. Now, farmers from around the country have been fighting for years to get federal clearance to grow hemp because many of their other crops have been affected by disease. Hemp would help break the disease cycle because it is disease resistant and can easily be grown organically without the use of pesticides.
In North Dakota and several other states like Hawaii, Kentucky, Main, Maryland, Montana, Vermont and West Virginia, it is legal to grow hemp at the state level, but federal law prohibits it.
Some have argued that someone could hide marijuana in a hemp field, however experts say that cross pollination would reduce the THC content of the marijuana and it would have no value as a street drug.
It only makes sense to bring this amazing crop back to the U.S. again. Not only would it be good for the earth, it could also help to create jobs in a struggling economy.
President Obama has said that the government should be a servant to the people. The government is preventing the cultivation of a versatile and useful crop, so is that really in the best interest of the people? I beg to differ.
