Hemp Argument

Reasons why American farmers should grow the industrial crop hemp – can replace almost all petroleum based plastics, fuel (300 gallons of oil per acre, per year), building materials, food and nutrition (hemp is the only plant that contains all the essential fatty acids and amino acids required by the human body, Omega 3), body care, paper, fabrics, textiles, rope. Archaeologists agree that hemp was among the first crops purposely cultivated by human beings at least over 6,000 years ago, and perhaps more than 12,000 years ago. US Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison grew hemp. Until the middle of the 19th century, hemp was described as “the king of fiber-bearing plants,—the standard by which all other fibers are measured”. Nevertheless, the Marihuana Tax Act applied in 1938 essentially ended hemp production in the United States. Even after 1938, during World War II, the US produced a short 1942 film, Hemp for Victory, promoting hemp as a necessary crop to win the war. The United States is the only developed nation in which industrial hemp is not an established crop. Farmers worldwide grow hemp commercially for fiber, seed, and oil for use in a variety of industrial and consumer products, including food. Industrial hemp production produce only minute amounts of THC, not enough for any physical or psychological effects. Typically, hemp contains below 0.3% THC, while marijuana can contain anywhere from 6 to over 20%. While the United States imports more hemp than any other country, US federal law does not consistently distinguish between marijuana and the non-psychoactive hemp used for industrial and commercial purposes. It is estimated 50,000 products can be produced from hemp in the United States. Legalize hemp is my vote.