The
U.S. and Canada both grew hemp in the past. It was falsely labeled
as marijuana and outlawed about 60 years ago due to a misinformation
campaign funded by the oil, timber and other industries threatened
by competition from industrial hemp. According to HEMPTECH, a global
network of hemp industry consultants, more than 25,000 products
can be made from hemp!
Unlike its cousin marijuana, industrial hemp is not a drug because
it lacks enough THC to produce a high. " Industrial hemp
and marijuana aren’t the same thing," said Jeff Gain,
chairman of the board of the U.S. Agriculture Department’s
Alternative Agricultural Research And Commercialization Corp
Rotation crop - Hemp stabilizes the soil due to its long tap
root approx 12 inches long. This aerates even the toughest of
soil, and even where there is minimum soil it can be used to increase
organic matter very quickly. Therefore it has value to the farmer
even if none of the crop is sold
As one of the planets oldest plants, it is often said that it
will grow despite you. Unique among textile plants, hemp does
not require herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, or chemical fertilizers.
It can leave fields weed free, as it out competes other plants.
It also pulls radioactive substances, metals and toxins from the
soil, and turns them into a useful product
Hemp is nature’s performance fiber. It is the strongest
natural fiber. It is naturally resistant to UV light, mold and
mildew, and to salt water. It has been used for centuries for
sails and rope on ocean-going ships
