Article View: ca.environment
Article #6878Marijuana/Hemp--Environmental Benefits
From: tornado
Date: Fri, 21 Jul 1995 00:00
Date: Fri, 21 Jul 1995 00:00
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15816 bytes
ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF HEMP (MARIJUANA)
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Hemp is the same plant as marijuana, its scientific name is
"cannabis sativa." For thousands of years hemp was used to make
dozens of commercial products like paper, rope, canvas, and textiles.
In fact, the very name "canvas" comes from the Dutch word meaning
cannabis, which is marijuana. That's correct, real canvas is made
from marijuana.
Many years ago hemp/marijuana was unjustly banned. However, hemp has
recently been rediscoverd as a plant that has enormous environmental,
economic, and commercial potential. What follows are some fascinating
facts about hemp/marijuana--facts that will shock most people.
* The potential of hemp for paper production is enormous. According to
the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, one acre of hemp can produce 4 times
more paper than one acre of trees! All types of paper products can
be produced from hemp: newsprint, computer paper, stationary,
cardboard, envelopes, toilet paper, even tampons.
* FACT: THERE IS NO TREE OR PLANT SPECIES ON EARTH CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
AS MUCH PAPER PER ACRE AS HEMP! HEMP IS NUMBER ONE!
* Paper production from hemp would eliminate the need to chop down
BILLIONS of trees! MILLIONS of acres of forests and huge areas of
wildlife habitat could be preserved.
* Trees must grow for 20 to 50 years after planting before they can be
harvested for commercial use. Within 4 months after it is planted,
hemp grows 10 to 20 feet tall and it is ready for harvesting! Hemp
can be grown on most farmland throughout the U.S., where forests
require large tracts of land available in few locations. Substituting
hemp for trees would save forests and wildlife habitats and
would eliminate erosion of topsoil due to logging. Reduction of
topsoil erosion would also reduce pollution of lakes/rivers/streams.
* Fewer caustic and toxic chemicals are used to make paper from
hemp than are used to make paper from trees--LESS POLLUTION!
* Hemp can also be substituted for cotton to make textiles. Hemp fiber
is 10 times stronger than cotton and can be used to make all types of
clothing. Cotton grows only in warm climates and requires enormous
amounts of water. Hemp requires little water and grows in all 50
states! There are now many stores in the U.S. that sell hemp-derived
products such as clothing, paper, cheese, soap, ice cream, cosmetics,
and hemp oil. Demand for these products--not even in existence in
1992--is growing rapidly.
* Hemp naturally repels weed growth and hemp has few insect enemies.
Few insect enemies and no weed problems means hemp requires
NO HERBICIDES and FEW or NO PESTICIDES!
* Cotton requires enormous pesticide use. 50% of all pesticides used
in the U.S. are used on cotton. Substituting hemp for cotton would
drastically reduce pesticide usage!
* Hemp produces twice as much fiber per acre as cotton! An area of
land only 25 miles by 25 miles square (the size of a typical U.S.
county) planted with hemp can produce enough fiber in one year to
make 100 MILLION pair of denim jeans! A wide variety of clothing
made from 100% hemp (pants, denim jeans, jackets, shoes, dresses,
shorts, hats) is now available.
* Building materials that substitute for wood can be made from hemp.
These wood-like building materials are stronger than wood and can
be manufactured cheaper than wood from trees. Using these hemp-
derived building materials would reduce building costs and save
even more trees!
* Hemp seeds are a source of nutritious high-protien oil that can be
used for human and animal consumption. Hemp oil is NOT intoxicating.
Extracting protein from hemp is less expensive than extracting protein
from soybeans. Hemp protein can be processed and flavored in any way
soybean protein can. Hemp oil can also be used to make highly
nutritious tofu, butter, cheese, salad oils, and other foods. Hemp
oil can also be used to produce paint, varnish, ink, lubricating
oils, and plastic susbstitues. Because 50% of the weight of a mature
hemp plant is seeds, hemp could become a significant source for these
products.
* Most hemp-derived products are NONTOXIC, BIODEGRADABLE, and RENEWABLE!
* Unlike virtually all hemp substitutes, growing hemp requires very
little effort and very few resources. Most substitutes for hemp
(sisal, kenaf, sugar cane) grow in limited geographical areas and
none have the paper/fiber potential of hemp. Hemp can be grown in
all 50 states!
* Unlike many crops, hemp puts little strain on the soil and requires
only moderate amounts of fertilizer. Less fertilizer use results
in less runoff into waterways and groundwater; therefore, less water
pollution.
* Hemp produces more biomass than any plant that can be grown in the
U.S. This biomass can be converted to fuel in the form of clean-
burning alcohol, or no-sulphur man-made coal. Hemp has more potential
as a clean and renewable energy source than any crop on earth! It
is estimated that if hemp was widely grown in the U.S. for
fuel/energy, it could supply 100% of all U.S. energy needs!
* Marijuana has dozens of proven medicinal uses. Marijuana is more
effective, less toxic, and less expensive than alternative synthetic
medicines currently used. A recent poll revealed that over 50% of
U.S. physicians would prescribe marijuana to their patients if it
was legally available. People who suffer from arthritis, AIDS,
rheumatism, leukimia, multiple sclerosis, cancer, glauocoma, and
other ailments can benefit from marijuana as medicine. But because
of our insane marijuana laws, people in need of this medicine are
denied it. Marijuana is classified by the U.S. government as a
dangerous drug with no medicinal value, a classification that is
absolutely ludicrous! Marijuana is widely accepted by the medical
community as having numerous proven medicinal uses--it is NOT
a dangerous drug.
* Hemp for rope, lubricating oil, shoe material, and other materials
was in such short supply during World War II that the U.S. government
temporarily re-legalized hemp so U.S. farmers could grow it for the
war effort. Hemp helped us win World War II! Hemp was a common crop
that was grown legally in the U.S. for commercial use until 1937.
* Hemp was NOT banned because it was a harmful drug. Hemp was banned
because it was a competitive threat to the wood products industry
and newly developed synthetic fibers that were patentable, and
therefore more profitable than hemp. Corporations that profited from
the demise of hemp propagated a smear campaign against hemp by
claiming that marijuana use was a major drug problem (it was not) and
that marijuana use caused people to become extremely violent--another
falsehood. Unfortunately, these false claims went unchallenged and
Congress outlawed hemp in 1937. Unfortunately, millions of Americans
still believe the lies spread about marijuana/hemp.
* On the eve of marijuana prohibition in the U.S., two articles
about hemp appeared in major U.S. magazines. They were:
"The Most Profitable And Desireable Crop That Can Be Grown"
From: Mechanical Engineering, February 26, 1937
"New Billion Dollar Crop" From: Popular Mechanics, February 1938
These articles reveal that hemp was on the verge of becoming a
super crop because of new hemp processing technologies that were
recently developed. Unfortunately, the potential of hemp was never
reaped because of marijuana prohibition.
* Hemp is legally grown for commercial use throughout much of Europe,
India, China, Russia, Ukraine. In 1994 the Canadian government
approved one experimental hemp field--its first legal hemp crop in
40 years. In 1995, there will be 11 government-approved hemp fields
in Canada! If the U.S. does not legalize hemp for commercial use,
a significant economic and environmental opportunity will be lost;
the benefits will be reaped only by our economic competitors.
* Literally millions of wild hemp plants grow throughout the entire
Midwest today. Wild hemp, like hemp grown for commercial use, is
USELESS as an intoxicant. It makes no sense to ban growing a plant
that has enormous economic and environmental potential, grows
naturally by the millions, and is impossible to exterminate. But
yet, our draconian drug laws state that one acre of hemp grown on a
person's property can result in the owner being sentenced to DEATH!
That's correct, the DEATH PENALTY exists for growing one acre of
nonintoxicating weeds!
* U.S. Presidents and founding fathers George Washington and Thomas
Jefferson grew hemp, used hemp products, and were hemp advocates.
Today's political leaders--as well as the public that favors
marijuana prohibition--would treat George Washington and Thomas
Jefferson with disdain, brand them criminals, and throw them in
prison!
Some products that can be manufactured from hemp/marijuana are...
* animal bedding * dynamite * paneling
* auto/boat covers * erosion control * pants
* backpacks * fabrics * parachutes
* bags (paper and canvas) * fire hoses * particle board
* balms * fiberboard * pasta
* bandages * fishnets * pet foods
* baseball caps * flags * pharmaceuticals
* baskets * floor mats * pillows
* bed linens * flooring * plaster
* belts * flour * plywood
* bioplastics * fuels * polymers
* birdseed * furniture * protein
* books * futons * purses
* boots * gloves * quilts
* bread * glues * roofing materials
* butter * hammocks * rope
* candlewick * harnesses * sails
* candy * hats * salad oils
* canvas * ice cream * salves
* cardboard * inks * sandals
* carpeting * industrial coatings * scarves
* caulking * industrial oils * shampoos
* cellophane * insulation * shirts
* cement * jackets * shoes
* chairs * jeans * skirts
* cheese * linen * slippers
* cloth/paper napkins * livestock feed * soaps
* cloth/paper towels * lubricants * socks
* coffee filters * luggage * sofas
* compost * magazines * stationary
* cosmetics * medicines * tablecloths
* curtains * moisturizers * tables
* cushions * mulches * tea
* denim * natural pesticides * tents
* desks * nets * thread
* detergents * newsprint * tissue paper
* diapers * note pads * toilet paper
* dolls * oil-spill absorbants * twine
* draperies * packaging * varnishes
* duffel bags * paints * wallets
* wallpaper
* FACT: NO TREE OR PLANT SPECIES ON EARTH HAS THE COMMERCIAL, ECONOMIC,
AND ENVIRONMENTAL POTENTIAL OF HEMP. OVER 30,000 KNOWN PRODUCTS
CAN BE PRODUCED FROM HEMP!
"Make the most of the hemp seed, sow it everywhere."
--George Washington, first president of the U.S. and hemp advocate.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
For further reading regarding hemp...
Title: Industrial Hemp
Author: Produced by HEMPTECH of Ojai, California
Pages: 48
ISBN: 1-886874-00-X
Price: $4.95
Order: (800) 277-0510 or (800) 469-4367 or (805) 646-HEMP
Descriptiion: A pocket-sized book that gives a quick overview
about all the uses and economic/environmental
potential of hemp. A QUICK READ! Printed on
tree-free hemp paper!
Title: HEMP, Lifeline To The Future
Author: Chris Conrad
Pages: 300
ISBN: 0-9639754-0-4
Price: $13.00
Order: (800) 436-7626
Description: THE BEST BOOK ABOUT HEMP! Covers the history of hemp,
its past and present commercial/medicinal uses, the
futile and enormously expensive war on marijuana, and
marijuana as an intoxicant. Most of the book focuses on
the environmental/economic potential of a revived hemp
industry. Sources are extremely well documented.
Title: Hemp Today
Author: Ed Rosenthal
Pages: 430
ISBN: 0-932551-14-9
Price: $19.95
Order: (510) 533-0605
Description: A collection of over one dozen essays written by hemp
experts, including scientists. Covers the aspects of
commercial hemp and its economic/environmental potential.
A small section is devoted to the marijuana issue. This
book is loaded with scientific information on hemp and
covers the current state of the commercial hemp industry
and farming throughout the world.
Title: Hemp & The Marijuana Conspiracy--The Emperor Wears No Clothes
Author: Jack Herer
ISBN: 1-878125-00-1
Pages: 250 (large magazine-style pages)
Price: $19.95
Order: (310) 392-1806
Description: The ground-breaking book that ignited the hemp movement.
Covers all aspects of hemp use from historic to current
times: The history of hemp, the commercial uses of hemp,
the economic and environmental potential of hemp, hemp as
a drug, the prohibition movement and drug war, the medical
uses of marijuana, etc. A conglomeration of dozens of
articles from dozens of sources.
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X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 10df74,d2584b76f7e5f3f2,start X-Google-Attributes: gid10df74,public From: tornado@best.com Subject: Marijuana/Hemp--Environmental Benefits Date: 1995/07/21 Message-ID: <3unb0b$6ou@news1.best.com> X-Deja-AN: 106640164 organization: BEST Internet (415) 964-2378 reply-to: tornado@best.com newsgroups: ca.environment