Some of the falsehoods told about hemp that restrict it's development

Source: reddit.com

I would like to introduce some products that do not require expensive processing, are in use, do not interfere with food production and we could all be deriving from a hemp crop.

I will be introducing grain hemp, the kind predominantly grown in Canada over nearly 2 decades.

A hemp plant is defined as possessing less then 0.3% THC, so THC will not be discussed.

• CBD
• Grain
• Stalk

Where's the conspiracy? Well... among others, the conspiracy I'm describing is misleading gatekeeping. Hemp is kind of "new" but some things are really beyond simple mistakes that people put out there.

processing is hard

This is the myth we hear and is perpetuated most. Let's see how this myth came about.

There are two crops grown of hemp: grain and fibre.

Fibre crops are different from grain in 4 key ways:

• they are sown more densely, this forces them up instead of allowing them to broaden out and gives long fibres
• genetics: fibre seeds are chosen for their ability to produce good fibre
• harvesting: fibre plants are harvested when their energy diverts from producing fibre to producing grain, this is usually late August whereas grain plants are harvested about six weeks later
• processing

Since fibre plants are harvested before develop bud and seed, they are basically a single use product. The have a thick outer layer of fibre that has pushed them vertically and little woody inner core called the shiv. They are harvested for their fibre and this is expensive (a plant that is being built in Canada is going to cost $30m and other in Romania cost 5 million euros).

While there are hybrid plants, grown for both grain and fibre, it has not really faired well. There are trade-offs and there are enough byproducts that can be generated from just the grain plant.

Grain Plant Products:

CBD

Are iffy as fuck. This is a conspiracy in itself and I will just give a basic outline of the nonsense stemming from them. They are illegal and yet the hemp crops are not assessed for them. In other words, you can produce CBD rich products as long as you don't mention CBD. Such examples would be using the extracts from the foliage and making lotions. Or using the oil, but this must be done by the farmer as seeds are required to be sold denatured: heated until they cannot be germinated which also vaporizes any THC or CBD content.

In the case of oil, it can be extracted by cold-pressing the seeds and this is within the 4 figure to low 5 figure price range to set-up. Cold-pressing prevents the loss of CBD.

Hemp oil is a waterproofing agent without requiring altering or processing.

The byproduct of hemp oil is hemp flour. The processing equipment is readily available.

The stalk:

The hemp stalk in a grain plant has a thin layer of subpar fibre surrounding an inner porous (light weight) core that has a high cellulose content (around 70%). By weight and volume, the shiv is the main product of the crop.

In Australia, Sweden and France, the shiv from the grain plant has been used for making hempcrete by merely shredding it. Hempcrete houses are are highly desirable, and highly dangerous to the current means of production. They are essentially fireproof and soundproof. These two things alone should spark great interest. But unlike straw, hemp is rot-resistant and when combined with a binder, become a masonry (stone) product. Hempcrete is carbon neutral, no carbon is emitted in the creation of hempcrete (it sequesters as much as is needed to produce the hempcrete products). Hempcrete naturally regulates humidity and provides good insulation. The British Museum archives were spending a lot on climate control so they choose to use hemp to regulate humidity and provide insulation for the sensitive objects in store. It is long-lasting, cheap, local, and does not offgas.

Hempcrete is not structural, and as such requires a structural frame to support it.

Structural hemp plastics:

Zeoform is a product that combines cellulose and water to form plastics of varying degrees of strength and density. Hemp is a vast resource of cellulose and can be ground and added to water and form a plastic from a raw stalk. For zeoform of higher density (and hence stronger), the cellulose content needs to be refined. Though zeoform can be made of waste cellulose, the high content of cellulose in hemp shiv gives it an advantage over other raw resources.

Carbon-nano-crystals (CNCs)

Carbon nano-crystals have been created and researched for their value in many fields. Hemp requires the same processing as other resources, but due to hemp's high yield and high cellulose content (while not competing with food production), it is an ideal choose for CNC production.

None of these products require specialized processing.

Now, to the conspiracy angle:

The US is now modelling the industrial hemp laws on Canada's. Canada's redtape watchdog pointed to hemp three times as one industry that is over-regulated. You need to apply for a license that is valid for one year and the license is needed to store, research, process, transport or grow hemp.

In other words, you can produce a crop and if it's not completely disposed of by January 1st, that non-THC product becomes illegal. This is difficult in "volunteer plants" as well. Volunteer plants are plants that spring up in following years. The farmer will be liable for them.

The processing myth. Alberta promised to meet a company willing to invest in processing equipment half way. An American company invested millions and then the government reneged on their promise. In academic, government and business circles, hemp is often shot down immediately due to "processing". And yet, none of the products I mentioned require any special processing.

My province has produced 0 acres of hemp for about a decade and this is under legalized hemp. America is adopting the same policies. What these policies serve to do is centralize hemp production, when hemp should be inherently non-centralized.

The inner shiv has a low density and is not compressible. It doesn't travel well. Hemp's shiv density is about 110 kg/m³ . Or about 1/8 the density of pine wood. You can only fit 7.5 tonnes in a shipping container and it's current estimated value is about $120 per tonne. Shipping will cost far more than the shiv.

Are these myths about hemp an accident? I find it hard to believe that with modern research, with hundreds of hemp houses built in Australia without decorticating the hemp (removing the fibre, the expensive processing) that graduate students failed to note that expensive processing is not required. Gatekeeping is about reserving power, creating the greatest profit for companies, academics and the industry in general.

Gatekeeping is what has allowed one of the most commonly used products in history that produces vast raw material to be criminalized, greatly restricted and prevented from becoming a commonly used, localized product.

In short, globalization can be seen in hemp and hemp is a tool to localize production. Currently, just grown for grain, hemp has been competitive and finding a growing market. If coupled with its other uses, it is a means towards creating communities that are self-sustaining, not providing a lower quality of life, but advancing living standards and alleviating centralized control. It's an example of many that exist of products that are restricted by the PTB to enforce the status quo.