Hemp
PREAMBLE
As we enter a new millennium, we find ourselves reevaluating the paths we've chosen and the decisions we've made. Have we made the best with what we've got or are we stumbling in the dark? How many gaps riddle the blanket of our knowledge?
The problem lies in how we make sense of where we're heading. Do we choose the path of economics and progress or do we choose the path of environmentalism and sustainability? Is there a median available for us to take where the greens of economy and environment are balanced or are we doomed to blindly continue the path of short-term gain and comfort . . . living out a flawed paradigm?
Canada is a prime example of a country that is continually weighing its power and influence on the natural and manmade worlds. We've found ourselves sitting on the global fence between our magliomaniacal brother to the south and our staunch traditionalist motherland to the east. From this division of powers and alliances we find ourselves locked into a self-induced ignorance and stifling conservatism. It's ironic that we have the opportunity to solve most of Canada's critical environmental issues in one fell swoop . . . with one simple plant. It is ignorance and the maintenance of the status quo that has blinded and crippled our ability to realize this resource.
INTRODUCTION
A plant exists that is so strong that it can be grown without requiring chemicals in almost every part of the world. Many have touted this plant as a possible way in which to wean society from its dependence on fossil fuels for energy and the need to log forests for pulp, paper and wood. It is even said that this plant could adequately clothe and feed the world more efficiently and cheaply than we can do now!
Why is this miracle plant not used if all evidence points to its versatility? The answer is bogged down in a century of law, sociology, the corporate agenda and conspiracy theories. Since the early part of the century, hemp has been considered a drug, though it has no euphoric attributes.
Hemp: the wonder plant and possible solution to the bulk of our problems is illegal only because it is seen as guilty by it's association with marijuana.
Hemp is a herbaceous plant called "cannabis sativa", which means `useful
(sativa) hemp (cannabis)'. Fiber is the best known product, and the word `hemp' can also mean the rope or twine which is made from the plant, as well as just the stalk of the plant which produced it.
History has proven its acceptance of hemp: both the U.
Hemp was viewed as a threat to several competing industries which caused them to create a smear campaign against hemp. By associating hemp with marijuana and by creating the propaganda film “Reefer Madness” this caused hysteria amongst the population (History of Hemp, n.d.). Hemp prohibition started in the 1930s. Hemp was grouped under the umbrella of marijuana and effectively made illegal under the 1937 Marihuana Tax Act. Furthermore, In 1970 Industrial hemp was classified as marijuana under the Controlled Substance Act in spite of decades of government-funded research that identified industrial hemp to have a unique structure and function (Hemp’s History, n.d.). In spite of Hemp being illegal in America, Hemp is legally grown in about 30 countries around the world, with China and France as the leading producers of hemp. Canada our neighbor to the north legalized Hemp cultivation in 1998. Farmers, there must have a licensed and also grow approved low-THC seeds. Hemp grown in Canada has to be tested to ensure they contain less than 0.3 percent THC. This essay will
There are many different words for what was originally considered, “hemp” to the ancient world. Some are, cannabis, marijuana, weed, and pot. Over time, the different words have reflected the views and uses of hemp through different societies and time periods. Hemp dates back to the early Mesopotamian days in what is considered Turkey today. It is the first known plant to be domestically cultivated. According to research, “The oldest relic of human history is hemp fabric dated to 8,000 BCE.” In 1492, Christopher Columbus brought hemp as a rope to America. His ships were full of hemp fabric used for uniforms, parachutes, ropes, sails, baggage, shoes and many more military uses. To free the American colonies from England press, Benjamin Franklin started a paper mill, which used cannabis to create paper and print books. This allowed America to have free colonial press from Britian without having to ask for them. The Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were both drafted on hemp paper. Betsey Ross made the first flag of the United States of America out of hemp, which was the strongest known fiber at the time. “Farmers from 1942 through 1945 who agreed to grow hemp were waived from serving in the military, along with their sons; that is how vitally important hemp was to America during World War II.” Henry Ford also used hemp-based plastic to create vehicles, which was proven to be stronger and lighter than steel and could withstand much more impact without denting. He also used hemp-based ethanol fuel, which was more efficient. Hemp had been used widely throughout the United States before it became illegal and served many purposes.
Probably one of the oldest plants known to man, Cannabis was cultivated for fiber, food, and medicine thousands of years before it became the "superstar" of the drug culture (Schultes, 1973). Cannabis, as it turns out, not only has many usage's, but has been employed in various ways by different cultures.
able to build up in the air spaces of the leaf and form a layer around
The gathering of a lot of fuel wood had contributed greatly to deforestation, desertification and other soil erosions. One area that has been decertified is the Sahara desert. Over many years of deforestation and taking of fuel wood, this once a rain forest has become an arid land for heat. When people gather the wood or cut down the tress this leads to soil erosion. The roots from the trees help soil stay in place when there are floods and heavy rain falls. Also trees can help decrease wind speed and not cause sandstorms. In many cases through out Africa, which has low fuel, wood resources there are a lot of sandstorms. The greatly reduce these problems, people should start planting more trees to take the place of all the trees that have been cut down. Trees help us in many ways. With more trees air qualities can be much better. Also by using other resources for fuel can be a good idea to lessen the amount of trees used and cut down.
The history of logging goes back to the vast ponderosa pine forests of the southern Colorado Plateau in the 1870’s and 1880’s with the harvest of railroad ties and other products for construction of the transcontinental railroad. At first, the companies only wanted the big, high-grade ponderosa pine trees. They soon realized that the big trees run out and are hard to transport. In the 1920’s, new technology including chainsaws, bulldozers, and logging trucks allowed the logging companies to harvest at a much greater rate. By the depression, there were m...
There are many species of trees that get turned into lumber and then manufactured. By harvesting lumber, we are cutting down many trees which are very important to many cycle in the environment. Fortunately we are able to grow back. Forests are burned or clear-cut to facilitate access to, and use of, the land. This practice often occurs when the perceived need for long term sustainability is overwhelmed by short-term sustenance goals. Not only are the depletion of species-rich forests a problem, affecting the local and regional hydrological regime, the smoke caused by the burning trees pollutes the atmosphere, adding more CO2, and furthering the greenhouse effect. For thousands of years, wood has been used as a building material and the fact is wood has huge environmental benefits over other building products. It is completely biodegradable, works as an effective insulator, and is 100 percent
Marijuana The third largest agricultural good in the nation and a ten billion-dollar industry has nothing to do with the agriculture we are used to. This is marijuana, an illegal drug. It is "the most widely used illicit drug in America" (Gold v). In Florida alone, marijuana sales are greater than all businesses except tourism (Gold v).
The main parties involved in this activity are the wood-based industries who use timber as their principal raw material. These include furniture makers, matchstick manufactures, and paper millers among other companies. In addition, firewood is the primary source of fuel in the developing countries. Apart from using trees as a source of fuel, people clear forested areas to provide space for agriculture. Farming and pastoralism requires large tracts of land and following the rising population, deforestation is an
In the last few years, people have started to rediscover hemp and all of its amazing uses. Up until the end of the nineteenth century, hemp was admired for its medicinal and practical properties. This admiration was abandoned by modern pharmacology due to the symbolic role of marijuana in counter-culture; this created a widespread aversion to hemp and the entire cannabis plant. Abuse of cannabis as a drug led to the prohibition of hemp cultivation and since then there has been an attempt to make people believe that hemp is nothing more than the crazy cousin of marijuana. When someone is shown a piece of clothing that’s made from hemp but looks just like linen, a change in understanding begins. This is the point at which people will start to realise that hemp is not a “deadly” drug, but simply a plant with a long and prominent history of service to mankind. What some people fail to understand is that hemp has been produced for thousands of years as a natural and extremely durable source of fibre for paper, rope, cloth, sails, canvas, building materials and even food and medicine.
This is why I decided to focus my research on the effects that foreign substances have on plants. The substances I will focus on are two of the most common and well known substances that people but in their bodies.
The authors suggest that the utilization of woody biomass is beneficial to the forest ecosystem, the environment, forest landowners, and society; stating that, woody biomass can help to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, to create healthier forests, and to reduce the risk of wildfires. This was supported by Alistair (2003) who suggested that many log residue benefits could be derived, especially when the world’s energy source is dwindling and our climate
since the beginning of time. Man has been destroying trees for the use of wood for
study of young and old forests says how this is in fact not true. Loggers have