What is Hemp?

By: Dan Kingston
Source:  azmarijuana.com

What is Hemp Used For?

Hemp, or industrial hemp, are the terms used to describe certain varieties of the Cannabis plant species; particularly varieties that have been bred over time for industrial uses as fiber, fuel, seed, oil, paper, food, and more. Hemp plants are generally bred to have minimal to no psychoactive substance (THC).

Hemp’s fiber (from its stalk) has been used to make rope, paper, constructions materials, clothing, and more for centuries.

Hempseed oil is used for its nutritional properties which consist of nearly 80% essential fatty acids and all the essential amino acids.

The federal government currently has hemp classified as a Schedule 1 substance. Many states are attempting to legalize the cultivation of hemp because of the known medicinal and economical benefits from the crop.

Hemp Facts

Hemp grows very well without pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides. About half of the agricultural chemicals used on U.S. crops are applied to cotton.

Hemp produces more pulp per acre than timber on a sustainable basis, and it can be used to make every quality of paper. Hemp paper manufacturing reduces waste-water contamination compared to trees.

Hemp fiber is longer, stronger, more absorbent, and more insulative than cotton fiber.

Eco-friendly hemp can replace most of the toxic petro-chemical products on market today. Research is being performed to use hemp in manufacturing bio-degradable plastic products such as plant-based cellophane, recycled plastic mixed with hemp for injection-molded products, and resins made from its oil.

Presidents Washington and Jefferson had both grown hemp. During the Colonial Era, Americans were legally bound to grow hemp. The federal government subsidized hemp during the Second World War and US farmers grew nearly a million acres of hemp as part of the program.