Hemp History Week
– Artist’s Website –
Hemp is a fiber and oil-seed crop with deep roots in American history. Today, U.S. States increasingly embrace the innovative and sustainable potential of non-drug, industrial hemp.
Innovation
Remarkable advancements in innovation and technology are allowing hemp to be utilized in a wide array of applications. Hemp bast fiber can replace graphene in supercapacitor batteries to power electric cars, handheld devices, and tools. Hemp fiber and cellulose are being developed into product packaging and bio-plastics for consumer goods, car panels and interiors, and aerospace applications. Hemp homes are non-toxic, energy efficient and aesthetically pleasing. Hemp holds the promise of a healthy future.
Sustainable
Hemp is a sustainable alternative to potentially thousands of every-day products. Hemp buildings are impressively energy efficient, non-toxic, pest-, fire- and mold-resistant, and carbon-neutral. Hemp’s high cellulose content makes it an excellent alternative to wood pulp for paper. Its long fibers make hemp an incredibly durable textile, and hemp seed’s excellent nutritional profile provides a balanced source of plant-based protein and essential fatty acids.
Economic Potential
Hemp crops pay. In Canada, hemp nets $200-$400 per acre, while just across the border, U.S. soy and corn typically net less than $160 an acre according to the USDA. Ideally, hemp is processed within 100 miles of where it is harvested, so secondary businesses like processing and manufacturing follow hemp farming. For example, millions of U.S. cars made by Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, and Tesla Motors are already being built with interior hemp-composite panels. If these companies could source U.S. grown hemp it would create long-term jobs in all sectors, strengthen regional economies, and maximize supply chain efficiencies.
Complete Nutrition
Hemp seed is delicious and nutritious, high in Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) and highly digestible protein. Containing super omegas Stearidonic Acid (SDA) and Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA) and all nine Essential Amino Acids, hemp is mineral-rich, gluten-free, has no known allergens, and requires no petroleum-based chemicals to grow.
Three tablespoons of hemp seeds contain:
11g vegan protein
7.5g omega-6
3.0g omega-3
No gluten
No known allergens
Regenerative
Hemp heals Earth. Its long taproot helps mitigate erosion and it has potential to remediate poor soil. As a rotation crop hemp can break disease cycles. It is one of the fastest growing plants on Earth making hemp very efficient at atmospheric carbon sequestration. Hemp’s high pollen content makes it a favorite of bees and other pollinator species, and since hemp requires no petroleum-based chemicals to grow, it does not contaminate the environment.
Not a Drug
As distinct varieties of Cannabis sativa L., hemp contains no significant amount of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive ingredient in drug varieties of Cannabis. Despite this distinction and the fact you cannot get high from ingesting it, hemp is archaically considered a Schedule I narcotic under the Controlled Substances Act. Federal and State policies are beginning to recognize the potential of industrial hemp and amend law to once again allow U.S. farmers to grow hemp.