Hemp: The Answer to Ending the Energy Crisis

Hemp, currently pronounced illegal to cultivate in the United States, is possibly the most versatile and useful materials on the planet. It can be a substitute for concrete, woven into hypoallergenic fibers, and used for insulation, cooking, cosmetics, and used as a plastic substitute. This little green miracle has helped out in so many ways in days of our ancestors by being used for the rope and sails that led to the colonization of this country that it's amazing that someone would make it illegal in the first place. The first Bibles and American flags were made from hemp fibers. In fact, it used to be required by the government to grow the plant as a cash crop. The plant can also be used for natural medicine and can help conserve the environment in more ways than one. While many scientists, engineers, and industrialists argue that the cultivation of the plant should be legal, unfortunately the farming of the plant is only legal in the neighboring country of Canada. This being because of misconceptions of hemp being the same as marijuana. Hemp can save the energy crisis, promote healthy living, and reduce waste.

Some companies are using hemp in their insulation because it is thermal resistant, doesn't grow mold, it's weather resistant, and it's hypoallergenic because it doesn't attract pollutants. Using hemp as an alternative to fiberglass insulation would be safer, cut energy bills, and better for the environment because it is all natural. The hemp insulation would also be ideal for a home with a dust allergy. Due to the fact it is weather resistant, it reduces condensation levels in houses which can cause water damage. Not only is it so weather resistant, but sound resistant as well. With the density of the fiber being a 25 kg...

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...l and abused. There are only ten out fifty states in the US that have decriminalized medicinal cannabis (Prakash).

So although illegal, industrial hemp is probably the most inexpensive and obvious response to energy crisis, deforestation, health problems, and landfills. If America legalized the miracle plant the government could create jobs and more advancements in the world of science and medicine. Being that America is one of the only countries in the world not growing the plant there is obviously a problem because most countries seem better off in their economy and they have no problems with the hemp in correlation to drug use. Hawaii had a permit to grow hemp over forty years ago but was never renewed due to DEA regulations. The cultivation of the plant has little cons and would be very beneficial not only to the economy but to the overall health of Americans.