Hemp - A Smart Choice

Ok people, let’s get one thing straight – hemp is NOT marijuana. In fact, the hemp used in hemp products is from the family Cannabis sativa L, a cousin of the plant marijuana. In chemical composition, hemp contains less than 1% of THC – marijuana’s chemical constituent that can cause psychoactive effects on the human brain. In order to get a smile from this stuff, you’d have to smoke a huge field of it.

Hemp is an amazing crop. It flourishes in a variety of conditions and is incredibly disease resistant. Because of this, raising hemp requires many fewer pesticides and herbicides than conventionally grown cotton. There are a variety of hemp products, from fiber cloth and paper, to food-grade oil (high in essential fatty acids), skin care, and even a potential fuel alternative.

Hemp is very possibly a solution to many world problems, including deforestation, erosion, starvation, pollution and fossil fuel shortages (it is going to run out). And, growing it offers potential jobs.

Hemp farming is currently banned in the US due to a lack of botanical understanding and, of course, politics. More enlightened Canada, on the other hand, is now growing thousands of acres of hemp. Our northern neighbors are profiting from the cultivation, harvesting and processing of the raw materials that US manufacturers buy to convert into finished products.

The hemp plant stalk contains some of the longest, naturally soft fibers found on Earth. They are rich in cellulose, making them longer, stronger, highly absorbent and better insulating than cotton fibers.

So, the next time you come across clothing, bedding, personal care products or even food stuffs, consider giving hemp a try. It’s good for the environment and great for your body.