Hemp

The miracle plant....

A totally under-utilized plant in western society. It's cheap to raise, cheap to maintain, and very renewable. Yet it's got this astigmatizm of "It gets you high!" attached to it.

It can produce paper, rope, cloth, and it's seeds are even able to produce a fuel that's useable in vehicles, yet it's illegal in the States. We're not allowed to grow it because it contains THC, the active chemical of marijuana. Yet suggest smoking it to any knowledgeable smoker and they would laugh at you. It contains about 1/10 or more less THC than the normal low grade 'mexican dirt weed' that's the low end of what people smoke. It'd be like grabbing a leaf off of the ground and smoking it. You wouldn't get high, you'd just get a headache.

So I'm thinking, why is it that we have this plant, that could easily replace the need of cutting down trees for paper, or that we could use the seeds it produces for fuel, that's illegal? Is it capitolism to blame? I'd have to think so. Hemp cloth breathes easier than cotton fabrics, it's more comfortable to wear, so the cotton industy would'nt want it legal because it would take over that area. Lumber companies don't stand to lose as much as cotton, yet still a lot of their tree's still go to be produced into paper, so they would not want it legal. Oil, and gas companies would definately not want it to be legal because they would lose a truckload if 'biodisel' became a regular fuel.

It just sickens me that we have this plant, that can do so much for society, that's really really dirt cheap to maintain, and to grow, yet we can't take advantage of it because it's illigal.

Please if you have an opposing viewpoint voice it. I welcome the discussion because I want to enhance my view on this and refine my arguement. I'm sure it's not stated as best I can as it is, and I know that having opposing viewpoints will only help me refine and address the more important parts of the arguement.
12,394 views 10 replies
Reply #1 Top
Refine your argument by investigating the super-shady collaboration of DuPont, Hearst, and Mellon in the 1930s. You're on the right track...I can't really remember the details off the top of my head, but having hemp in the market competed with lumber industry that Hearst had lots of money in for wood pulp for paper, so he provided the public with lots of propaganda about the plant, and renaming it marijuana when trying to associate it with Mexicans that he was racist against. Also, DuPont had just came out with Nylon and rayon and would not be able to compete with the farmers that produced hemp. There's more about the oil companies arguments, but I don't really remember much. All I know is that it was a very deliberate corporate plan to get Hemp off the market by demonizing it.
Reply #3 Top
It has always boggled my mind that people confuse the legalized hemp argument with the marijuana legalization argument (I am for both, by the way). If the US wanted hemp to be legal and pot to remain illegal, it would be remarkably easy to accomplish. Simply require that hemp growers be licensed with the DEA; and make a stipulation to retain licensing that you need to submit to random DEA testing of your plants. If you're found to be growing marijuana among the hemp plants, then the proper penalties would apply.

Personally, I have always thought marijuana illegalization to be silly, though. But that's another blog.
Reply #4 Top
Thanks for that link Perhaps, it's giving me a lot of reading to do and I've learned some things I didn't know

And I agree with you Gideon, I think either being illegal are silly. And I was also planning on another blog of close to that same subject
Reply #5 Top
Cotton farmers would probably love it. They could quit grow cotton and grow hemp instead and most likley come out the better for it.
Reply #6 Top
OK, I have a silly question, and I realize this may make me look like more of a moron than usual, but I've seen tanning lotion containing hemp on the shelves at tanning salons, and I am wondering, if hemp is illegal here in the US how are they able to sell hemp lotion?
Reply #7 Top
Nice that you brought that up really.. Hemp products aren't illegal here, only the production of hemp. You can legally buy hemp necklaces, shirts, etc... Your just not allowed to grow it to make the products yourself. So a lot of companies and such that would use hemp products have to have it imported from another country that allows it's production.
Reply #8 Top
Thanks for the info (and for not making me feel like a moron).
Reply #9 Top

. You can legally buy hemp necklaces, shirts, etc...


I have hemp oil body lotion....it's wonderful.  Natural, effective....good stuff!

Reply #10 Top
Yep, the oils from the seeds can do a lot in ways of body care, cooking, and many other things. It's basically a plant that we can use every part of to make something... but.. because people can "get high" off it's sister plant it's illegal here.