Eco

The Many Uses of Hemp

Hemp is a soft heavy-duty fiber cultivated from Cannabis plants, and known for its extreme versatility. A ban has been established in America, prohibiting the ability to grow and cultivate hemp because this fiber comes from the same plant that marijuana is cultivated from. Hemp, however, shares few similarities with the drug, and can in fact be described as anti-marijuana*.

In the countries where Hemp is not banned, it has been discovered that hemp is a very eco-friendly plant, which can be used to make multiple sustainable products, and requires very little care (no pesticides!) to grow.

Other uses of hemp include:

EATING. Hemp used to be eaten as gruel, which was made by using its seeds. Today, however, hemp can still be made into various nutritional products. It is rich in amino acids (proteins) and the ‘good’ fatty acids.

CLOTHING. Hemp is excellent material for making clothes with because it is lightweight, water-resistant, and three times stronger than cotton.

FUEL. Using Hemp as a biodiesel fuel (instead of crude oil) is highly practical because of the way that the plant matter is converted into fuel: it produces very little damaging emissions and the is a cost-effective process.

PAPER. Hemp can also be made into paper, and its long fibers allow it to be recycled multiple times. Also, Hemp can yield 3-8 dry tons of fiber per acre. This is four times what an average forest can yield. Meaning that using Hemp fiber can help save our trees and forests, and making it a great source of paper.

PURIFYING. Because of its low lignin content, hemp can be used in place of chlorine to purify water and reduce our need for toxic bleaches.

Finally, hemp is undoubtedly one of the most sustainable and substantial crops in the world. Banning such a valuable crop in our country only prevents us from possessing a great way to better our environment, and prevent more damage to it. Check www.naihc.org for more facts on hemp, and http://www.hemp-sisters.com/index.htm for cute eco- friendly hemp products!

*See http://www.naihc.org/hemp_information/content/hemp.mj.html for more details on the difference between marijuana and hemp.