Hemp Info 











HEMP INFORMATION FOR THE FUTURE CONSUMER

Growing industrial hemp will soon be as common as growing corn or cotton! The benefits that hemp has to offer us is undeniable. Our society will soon learn that even though hemp is in the same plant genus as marijuana, it does not have the psychoactive drug (THC) in it's chemical makeup. Which means hemp does not have any drug-like effects. As you will read below, broccoli and cauliflower are in the same plant genus as both marijuana and hemp. 

Hemp is harvested much like hay. Click on the above picture to see exactly how industrial hemp is harvested.
Environmental facts of Hemp and Cotton:
- 275+ million pounds of pesticides per year is used for cotton crops in the U.S.....the states that make up the cotton industry are known as the cotton belt.
 
- Massive quantities of fertilizers, defoliates, growth regulators, and general biocides such as methyl bromide are used for cotton crop growth.
 
-Cotton requires immense amounts of water and cause salt build-up in the soil.
 
- Cotton needs wide spacing between plants allowing soil to bake, oxidize, and release carbon into the atmosphere which depletes soil fertility.
 
- Hemp improves soil quality as it grows because it's rooting system grows further down than most plants and it does not require herbicides or pesticides, since it is naturally resistant to insects, fungus and other pests.
 
- Hemp can replace synthetic textile fibers that are non-biodegradable, generate pollution in their production, and are made from non-renewable petroleum.
 
- Hemp is a natural resource for building materials, papermaking, and biodegradable plastics.
 
- Figured annually, 1 acre of hemp produces 400% more pulp for paper than 1 acre of trees.
 
- Using the same amount of land, hemp produces 250% more fiber than cotton and 600% more fiber than flax.
 
- Hemp's low lignin content reduces the need for acids used in pulping, and it's creamy color lends itself to environmentally friendly bleaching instead of harsh chlorine compounds. Less bleaching results in less dioxin and fewer chemical byproducts.
 
- Hemp fiber paper resists decomposition, and does not yellow with age when an acid-free process is used. The Columbia History of the World states that the oldest relic of human industry is a bit of hemp fabric dating back to approximately 8,000 BC.
 
- NO dioxins are produced from hemp's manufacture.
 
- Hemp can be rotated with grain crops; for example: soybean crops; soy enriches nitrogen for better hemp growth, in turn hemp eliminates competing weeds and enriches the soil.
 
 

There are many resources we can get from hemp. The seed is a large source for the essential fatty oils that our bodies need for their health. Anything from cooking oils and nutrient-packed foods can be produced.
Personal benefits of Hemp:
- Hemp wears 2-3x longer than any fiber, softens as you wear, and is more breathable than cotton.
 
- Hemp fiber has a porous nature allowing it to breath, therefore it keeps you cool in the summer, and in the winter it traps air into the fiber keeping you warm.
 
- Hemp is known as the strongest fiber; over twice as strong as cotton.
 
- Hemp seeds are an excellent nutritional source, can be roasted and eaten, ground into flour or pressed to get hemp oil; hemp oil can be used in numerous products; soaps, lotions, lip balm, shampoos and conditioners just to name a few. The fabric can make anything from tshirts and necklaces, to rugs, dog collars, and baby diapers.
 
- In terms of its nutrient content, shelled hemp seed is 34.6% protein, 46.5% fat, and 11.6% carbohydrate.
 
- The "hurd" (or inside of the stalk) is used for animal bedding or mixed with mineral compound and blown into walls as loose insulation.  (One of Germany's largest manufacturers uses hemp to insulate their cars!)
 
- Hemp is too often misunderstood as having the same chemical makeup as marijuana, this is untrue. They only come from the same plant genus....and so do broccoli and cauliflower, 2 other nutritional plants that we use every day.
 
- The strains of hemp used in industrial and consumer products contain only a negligible level of the intoxicating substance delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. Thus, industrial grade hemp is not marijuana.
 

Did you know?.....
 
 
The British Empire was built on hemp. The ships all used hemp, from the sails to the ropes down to the sailor's uniforms. At one point Britain and France went to war over protecting the Russian hemp supplies, as the Russian hemp made the strongest sails and ropes.
 
And the American Declaration of Independence 200 years ago was signed on paper made from hemp. Also, George Washington was a hemp farmer knowing how beneficial the hemp plant is.