"Hemp is the Healing of Industry"

I can't name another raw material that has the stigma and misinformation, or the potential for industrial applications, as cannabis.

Seemingly, social consciences in the U.S. are beginning to change about this plant. Last year, the states of Washington and Colorado somewhat-radically approved marijuana use for everyone. Last week, the state of Illinois became the 20^th state to approve the drug for medical use. This movement has gained some notable proponents recently; doctor and media personality Sanjay Gupta announced his public support last week after saying he had been "terribly and systematically misled." He noted that only 6 percent of marijuana research goes towards discovering the benefits of the drug, while the remainder goes towards researching its harmful effects which are already well-documented. Recurring presidential candidate Ron Paul has vocalized his support as well, saying one of his priorities - if voted into office - would be to remove marijuana from the list of Schedule 1 drugs, a DEA list of highly-dangerous substances with a high potential for abuse.

Cannabis became illegal in the U.S. under myriad circumstances anyhow; it was some combination of poor legislation, racism, and industrial pressure. First, New York State began outlawing opiates in the 1860s, and sought to restrict cannabis in fear that it would replace opiate addiction. Other states followed, and in California a legislative error added it to a list of substances made available only by a doctor. As the Tolerance Movement and alcohol prohibition gained traction marijuana found its way into speakeasies, thereby darkening its reputation. Harry Anslinger was appointed assistant commissioner of the Bureau of Prohibition in 1929, and during his investigations he encountered marijuana almost as frequently as alcohol.

When Anslinger was appointed commissioner of the Bureau of Narcotics, he took his conceptions about marijuana with him in front of Congress. He brought attention to several reports that depicted marijuana as a drug that: crazed black men with lust for white women, and vice versa; made Mexicans lazy, angry and violent; and persuaded its users to engage in crime and other dangerous behavior. Anslinger's anti-marijuana message was empowered by the DuPont family, Andrew Mellon and William Randolph Hearst, each of whom stood to make a substantial fortune by outlawing cannabis (in the petrochemical, fiber, and timber industries, respectively). Hearst provided Anslinger a chance to editorialize marijuana in Hearst-owned newspapers, and when marijuana was voted on by Congress in 1937, several less-powerful dissidents had been silenced (mainly by lies and coercion), including the American Medical Association and New York City Mayor LaGuardia. At this time there was not a known scientific difference between marijuana and hemp, so it was altogether outlawed.

From a personal and political standpoint, I have no interest in legalizing marijuana. I feel as though each American state can best determine what is valuable to its constituents. My home state has determined there is no merit to medical marijuana, and if public support changes then I expect my representatives to change their support too.

However, from a sustainable and economic standpoint, I am definitively behind the legalization of hemp. What many of our American politicians refuse to acknowledge is that hemp, the products which are devisable from the processing of the cannabis plant, can be completely separated from the culture that arises from smoking marijuana. Tetrahydrocannibol can be removed from the marijuana plant to produce a renewable natural resource with no psychoactive influence; instead the plant can be harvested to supply about a dozen industries and is explicitly known as industrial hemp. So far a handful of states have licensed the cultivation of hemp, but only three (Colo., N.D., Vt.,) have begun growing the plant because hemp remains illegal according to federal law and there could be top-level backlash.

A small look at the industries and applications which hemp can serve:

• Food:Hemp contains all 21 amino acids, including the 9 essential ones which must be ingested. Hemp can be eaten raw, ground into meal, sprouted, processed into milk or tea, and used in baking.
• Fiber: Hemp can be spun into rope, fabrics and industrial materials. Hemp was a common source of sail canvas, and the word canvas has etymological origins from cannabis
• Building materials: Hempcrete is a mixture of hemp and lime cement that is used as insulation forconstruction in temperate climates. It eliminates the needs for expansion joints, and also respires CO2.
• Bioplastics: As a blend, fiberglass, hemp fiber, kenaf and flax have been used to make plastic components of automobiles. Manufacturers include Audi, BMW, Ford, Chrysler, Honda, Merecedes, Porsche, and VW.
• Paper: Paper can be made from the leftover pieces of hemp stems and stalks. While not as robust as wood pulp paper, the manufacturing requires less chemical treatment leading to a higher degree of sustainability.
• Jewelry: Using hemp twine in macramé, hippies make necklaces, bracelets, anklets, etc.
• Environmental maintenance: Hemp is a so-called 'mop crop' which absorbs contaminants in its immediate vicinity. This includes sewage and phosphorus, and the Russian government is using hemp to reduce radiation levels in Chernobyl, Ukraine.
• Weed control: Hemp's dense foliage can be utilized to reduce a shorter plant's access to sunlight, and has been used in agriculture to minimize herbicides.
• Fuel: Hempoline is a biofuel made from the oils of hemp seeds and stalks, or by fermenting the entire plant.

The value of hemp goes way beyond tokin' it. Environmental conservation and resource preservation is at the forefront of our current social, political and corporate discussions, so it's hard to imagine how something as harmless as hemp was misconstrued in the name of big business and idiotic government policies. Thomas Jefferson once said, "Hemp is of first necessity to the wealth and protection of the country." As I mentioned, the social conversation about marijuana as a whole is changing, so a future where hemp is a major commodity may not be that far off, and it seems like it was never meant to be restricted at all.

Resources

Wikipedia - Hemp; Legal history of cannabis in the U.S.; Harry J. Anslinger

NBC News - A History of Pot...

North American Industrial Hemp Council