Red, Green & Blue: Better Living Through Hemp?
Whenever I read an online article about alternative energy and scroll down to the reader comments below, I’m already thinking, "Here come the hemp people." No news or feature story about biofuels or sustainable agriculture can go by without supporters of industrial hemp crawling out of the woodwork to tout their wonder crop. My reaction has generally been to say, "OK, we’ve made our obligatory hemp post. Let’s get on with the real debate now."
Until I actually researched the subject. Hemp — not the munchies-inducing variety, but the kinds with very low amounts of the psychoactive substance THC — really does appear to be all its proponents make it out to be. Hemp fibers can be used to make clothing, furniture and even biodegradable plastic, and to strengthen cement. Hemp seeds can be eaten as is, ground into flour, pressed for oil or made into non-dairy milk and ice cream. The seeds are also rich in protein and the omega-3, -6 and -9 fatty acids that the human body needs but can’t make on its own. And, like so many U.S. Congresspersons and the Iraq War, before the U.S. government was against hemp, it was for it, actively promoting the crop as a source of fiber for cordage during World War II.
Then there’s the biofuel appeal: both hemp seeds and stalks can be converted into biodiesel or alcohol fuels. Better yet, hemp grows fast and produces way more fiber per acre than cotton, flax or even trees. If it weren’t for the ridiculous, costly and ineffective "War on Drugs" that lumps industrial hemp into the same category as Maiu Wowie, we might be able to tap into a sustainable, highly useful crop that’s far superior to the current favorite in Kansas and on Capitol Hill: corn.
Also on GO:
Tags: alternative energy, Biodiesel, biofuels, industrial hemp, natural fibers, Red, Green and Blue, sustainable agriculture
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September 25th, 2007 at 9:41 pm
Cool picture Shirley
You may be surprised by my response here but I don’t think hemp should be regulated in the way it is now… particularly industrialized hemp. Though I’m not one to partake of THC in any form myself, I believe the ‘War on Drugs’ is a ridiculous waste of money that does way more harm than good because drug issues are compounded by financial issues so having the police state use druggies as a revenue source just adds fuel to the fire and increases socially related drug problems and other crime that also finds indices related to poverty.
Wasting all that money on non-value added enforcement, prosecution and incarceration is largely a waste and being greenies we certainly abhor waste.
Back to hemp though, it’s interesting to hear uses as a biofuel as well as its other notable uses. I’d like to hear more about other uses if anyone else has any info.
September 25th, 2007 at 9:44 pm
Oh darnit… that post probably just landed me on a DEA watchlist. I’m already on the airline watchlist (who knows how I rated that?) so they’ll probably be kicking in my doors before midnight.
September 25th, 2007 at 10:39 pm
Guess I’ll be joining you on that list, Jimmy. Oh well. : ) Here’s a few other uses for hemp I’ve gleaned today:
It’s good for mulch, animal bedding and litter, in manufacture of oil-based paints, as a moisturising agent and in wild bird seed mix.
According to Wikipedia, "Mercedes-Benz uses a ‘biocomposite’ composed principally of hemp fiber for the manufacture of interior panels in some of its automobiles." Also, "The Declaration of Independence was printed on hemp paper" and "Henry Ford grew marijuana on his estate after 1937, possibly to prove the cheapness of methanol production at Iron Mountain. He made plastic cars with wheat straw, hemp and sisal."
Unlike flax seed oil, oil from hemp seed doesn’t create deficiencies or imbalances of essential fatty acids with extended use.
Hemp seed’s composition is closer to a complete protein source than any other oil seed except soy.
New plastics can be made with 20- to 100-percent hemp fiber.
Hemp fabrics are softer, more absorbent and more breathable than cotton.
From Hemp.com: "The bulk of the woody stalks can be used for paper, animal bedding, oil absorbent, soil amendment, chemicals, plastics, & fuels (ethanol, methane, co-firing with coal, etc.) These fuels burn cleaner and are more efficient that other fuels not made with hemp."
Sounds like quite a plant, huh?
September 26th, 2007 at 9:11 am
Our governments are criminals, hemp is an essential crop that has been cast aside to support billionaire business who produce alternative non biodegradable products that harm our environment.
Hemp is not only an essential crop to help restore the damage to our environment it is also essential as part of our everyday diet/nutrition it is packed with healthy ingredients which are missing in our every diet to keep us fit and healthy.
It’s up to us to educate the public about the importance of this god given plant which is being denied to us by Governments all over the world to protect the interest of big corporations.
September 26th, 2007 at 1:04 pm
Just like God to give mankind a wonderful gift… and just like government to take it away.
Although I’m sure it had an effect on Big Al during his formative years out there smokin’ rope on the farm out in Carthage; I really don’t think that’s reason enough to ban it altogether.
You know… the US has 5% of the world’s population and 25% of the world’s prisoners. Most estimates place the make-up of prison populations at about 50% for non-violent ‘drug’ related crime and subsequent probation violations where the convict has done no harm whatsoever to anyone else.
What if, instead of spending all of that money on non-value-added arrest, prosecution and incarceration, we could just treat this as a medical problem like other countries do? And think of the opportunity cost of having so many people incarcerated vs. having them be productive taxpaying workers.
I’m for investing in education, research, medicine and alternative energy; not cops, prosecutors, judges and jails.
September 26th, 2007 at 2:41 pm
Had to take a jab at Al, huh, Jimmy? : )
That’s OK. In researching industrial hemp’s many benefits, I found myself repeatedly remembering W’s last State of the Union address. Remember how everyone made such a big deal of the fact he mentioned "switchgrass"? I would have loved to see the reaction had he instead mentioned "industrial hemp"!
You’re right, though. It’s ridiculous for us to criminalize something that could be better treated as a medical problem, then create a huge and costly (in both dollars and human terms) industry to manage that criminal population.
Again, the more I read, the more amazing a crop hemp appears to be. Here’s some more info I’ve found:
From http://hempcar.org/hempfacts.shtml:
"Farming 6% of the continental U.S. acreage with biomass crops would provide all of America’s energy needs."
"Hemp is Earth’s number-one biomass resource; it is capable of producing 10 tons per acre in four months."
"Hemp can produce 10 times more methanol than corn."
And from http://www.thehia.org/facts.html:
"According to the Department of Energy, hemp as a biomass fuel producer requires the least specialized growing and processing procedures of all hemp products."
Hemp, apparently, is also easy to grow organically, is prone to few pests, is a natural weed-suppressor, and can be grown in a wide range of soils and climates.
So what’s the problem? The association of industrial hemp with the other, wacky weed is so ingrained in American culture, it would take a gargatuan sea change to alter it. And, apparently, the association is an intentional one, cultivated in part starting in the 1930s by DuPont, which saw the hemp industry as a threat to its own new paper-making process. Interesting stuff.
September 26th, 2007 at 3:04 pm
Well it’s not like he’s a small target, there Shirley… though I can’t say much. I’m a beef-eater who is toppin’ 210 myself these days.
Is anyone having any success on industrialized hemp in the US now or is status quo just such an overwhelming force that it will never be overcome?
This is very informational though. I bet the market for salvaged Mercedes-Benz door panels just went through the roof down in the Haight Asbury district.
September 26th, 2007 at 8:41 pm
I think hemp is second to nothing and make bedlinen from it - http://www.jillycholmondeley.com It has real benefits for users:
It is thermostatic due to its hollow fibre and therefore cool in summer and warm in winter.
It is excellent at wicking away moisture - particularly comfortable for menopausal women and others.
It softens with every wash and wears wonderfully. An old Tuscan saying “Hemp said to linen - “While you wear out I wear in” “.
I have had my bedlinen laboratory tested which has confirmed that it has resistance to bacteria. This means it can be washed at low temperatures and has positive health implications. On a practical note you can keep it on the bed for an awfully long time without a nasty odour! As one purchaser said to me recently “…it should be compulsory for students and single men”!!!
Hemp is also an ecologically beneficial crop for farmers to grow. It can be grown without pesticides or herbicides, it requires much less water than cotton (including organic) and also less than linen, it is beneficial to the soil and wildlife.
It is my aim to make my range the thinking persons choice of bedlinen - true Eco-chic!!
September 26th, 2007 at 11:39 pm
A point of clarification.
The hemp used, and the products derived from hemp are not the kind being sold in “Haight Asbury. Perhaps in a clothing store, but not on the black market, as was suggested above.
This is exactly what is wrong with the debate on legalisation/regulation.
Industrial hemp and marijuana are two entirely different varieties of the same plant.
It’s virtually impossible to get “high” from smoking any part of the hemp plant, regardless of how much one ingests. There simply is not enough THC in hemp to do so.
There are over 25,000 uses for hemp.
One key fact is, the seeds from marijauna (the smokable variety) are much preferred when it comes to the topic of the oil derived, as it’s content is far superior to that of hemp.
The Oil and Chemical industry are well aware of this fact and have successfully created a ’strawman’ in ethanol. Congress is complicit, as are most politicians. There are few exceptions.
A diversion for the ignorant and ill informed.
BOTH plants should be legalized and regulated.
In fact, Any landowner who utilizes his property for agriculture should be required to grow hemp as a percentage and rotatable crop. The founding fathers, Jefferson, Washington, etc, ALL did so, and it was the law of the day.
The question is (for politicians, not this poster), why is it that the U.S. LEGALLY imports products made of hemp, yet our farmers are not allowed to grow it?
Why is it that former CIA director James Woolsey is a staunch supporter of the legalization of hemp?
I can answer those questions, but I find it best if one finds out for themselves.
Thanks for your blog, and congratulations on your ‘awakening,’ if you will, on this wonderful plant that has so much to offer.
If you get into the aspect of low net nutrient, and how the plant doesn’t require pesticides (derived directly from OIL), then you’ll have crossed another bridge on the path to HEMP for Victory !!!
October 1st, 2007 at 2:30 am
Check out "Standing Silent Nation," an amazing documentary by Prairie Dust Films.
Info: PBS, POV
http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2007/standing/
Standing Silent Nation
Synopsis
What does a family have to endure to create a future for itself?
When the Oglala Sioux Tribe passed an ordinance separating industrial hemp from its illegal cousin, marijuana, Alex White Plume and his family glimpsed a brighter future.
Having researched hemp as a sustainable crop that would grow in the inhospitable soil of the South Dakota Badlands, the White Plumes envisioned a new economy that would impact the 85% unemployment rate on the Pine Ridge Reservation.
They never dreamed they would find themselves swept up in a struggle over tribal sovereignty, economic rights, and common sense.
From the hemp fields of Pine Ridge to the US Federal Court of Appeals, the one-hour documentary Standing Silent Nation tracks one family’s effort to create economic independence for themselves, their reservation, and their future generations.
The hemp plant is like a new buffalo for the Lakota: a resource whose many uses from food to fuel to fiber, could enrich their sovereign nation. For three years, Alex White Plume and his family planted industrial hemp. But each year, their harvest was disrupted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which claims that hemp is marijuana despite the absence of marijuana’s psychoactive properties.
Standing Silent Nation challenges contemporary notions of Native America, while providing a compelling and engaging story rarely covered in mainstream media.
Standing Silent Nation is made possible with the support of Native American Public Telecommunications, the Paul Robeson Fund for Independent Media, the Playboy Foundation, and many others who have donated to the project over the years.
http://www.standingsilentnation.com