Even though I doubt there’s any Botany majors in this class, I would bet that the majority of you know what Cannabis is, or you think you do. For those who are living under a veil of deceit, let me enlighten you as to what Cannabis really is.
A botanist would know that cannabis is a genus name, or the class between family and species. A lot of the time Marijuana is deemed equivalent to Cannabis, when in reality it’s actually just a subordinate species of the genus.
Another subordinate species of Cannabis is Hemp. The writers at CleanEarth.com make a good point when saying, “We cannot compare Industrial Hemp to marijuana because it’s like comparing raisins to wine, french fries to vodka, or whiskey to cornflakes. Raisins and wine come from the same grapes, french fries and vodka from the same potatoes, whiskey and cornflakes from the same stalks.”
According to Dr. David P. West, “There is a function difference between hemp and marijuana.” Although they may look alike, the two plants differ greatly. Besides appearance, there aren’t many similarities between the Hemp plant and Marijuana. Both contain molecules THC and CBD. THC is the component which produces a psychoactive high, CBD counteracts this effect. Exactly the opposite of Marijuana, Hemp has less than 1% THC and a significant amount of CBD, rendering it nearly impossible to get high off of industrial Hemp.
In most cases, it’s considered taboo for an educated individual to speak publicly in favor of industrial hemp. Since the Marijuana Tax Law of 1937, it has been illegal to cultivate Hemp in the United States. Before that many prominent figures used to grow Hemp for industrial purposes, including our first president George Washington, who was the leader in hemp production during his time.
Why was Hemp so popular over 200 years ago? Well, history tells us that Hemp was a very important crop, providing nearly 80% of all paper, fiber, textiles and fuel. In the late 1700's cotton gained a bit of popularity with the invention of the cotton gin, even though it is proven that Hemp is 4 times softer than cotton. 4 times warmer than cotton. 4 times more water absorbent and 3 times as strong. So why then in the 1930's when new inventions sped up the harvesting of hemp, did the government ban this versatile crop?
As I mentioned before, hemp was the main source of paper products nearly 200 years ago. As technology in cultivating hemp came to a stand still, trees took the lead and by the 1930's became the more popular choice for paper.
One of the key people in outlawing industrial hemp was millionaire, William Randolph Hearst. He controlled a newspaper company and owned many tree filled forests used to produce his papers. Even back then it was widely known that Hemp plants had a shorter maturation time than trees and could produce more paper without the use of pesticides. It was blatantly obvious that the idea of Hemp once again as a paper source would mean financial downfall for the Hearst empire. It was then that William started abusing his media advantage by publishing falsified stories mislabeling hemp as marijuana and linking it’s usage to violent crimes. Shortly there after, many others who had money in the paper and chemical business jumped on the bandwagon and set off to make growing hemp illegal.
In current times, the environment plays a major role in many government decisions. It’s a known fact that we are depleting our natural resources faster than ever before. We’re chopping down trees at an alarming rate and can’t replant quick enough to keep up, not to mention unknowingly destroying many medicinal plants while leveling the rain forests. We’re filling our air with chemicals when using pesticides and fertilizers to grow textile crops. We’re doing all this damage when there’s a nearly perfect plant right under our nose. A plant that is the longest and strongest fiber of any other on Earth. A plant that will grow from the equator to the tips of Antarctica. A plant that requires no polluting pesticides to flourish.
If you haven’t guessed; I’m referring to Hemp. As history proves true, legalizing this miracle crop will allow a variety of safe and superior environmentally friendly products to be produced.
As of right now, hemp products are legal to import from other countries, but illegal to grow in the U.S. This leaves many American farmers at a disadvantage, considering their missing out on a significant amount of profit. According to research compiled by doctors Mark Berger and Eric Thompson, if farmers were allowed to grow industrial hemp, they would see a net profit of $600 per acre. Aside from tobacco, this could easily be the most profitable crop in America. In Kentucky alone it is estimated that with legalization, 771 jobs would be created with worker earnings close to 18 million.
Recently eight states sought for the right to legalize hemp, but the Supreme court ruled that it was not up for the states to decide themselves. So why is the government still fighting a war on a crop that does more good than anything? It’s my personal belief that modern America really has been misinformed. Armed with all the proper facts, I think anyone would clearly see what a benefit legalizing industrial Hemp would be.
To learn more about industrial hemp and to find out how you can help make this miracle plant legal, visit www.votehemp.com.