asublimeutopia
Well-Known Member
Hello All, I wrote this short essay on industrial hemp a month or two ago for an English assignment. I know it is not Subcool or TGA related but i find that Sub's Old School Organics is my favorite thread section so I thought I would share this with you like minded individuals. Please post any replies with your beliefs or thoughts about industrial hemp. I truly believe we as Americans need to wake up and legalize Industrial Hemp AND our beloved DANK. To me though the illegality of hemp is super frustrating and senseless. Also, if you have any other informative tidbits throw em on in. We have to educate each other ya know. Peace!
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By: asublimeutopia
ENGL101- Essay 4
Professor Blankity Blank
July 24 2011
-The Effects of Industrial Hemp Being Illegal-
The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 began the tumultuous history of Cannabis and its illegality in our country seventy-four years ago. Prior to 1937 it is an agricultural product grown in many countries with innumerable uses. Cannabis sativa L. is the name of the hemp plant which by definition is grown for its fibers and seed crop and contains less than 1% THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and usually only contains 0.3% THC. It is related to the more commonly known marijuana, also Cannabis sativa, which contains the psychoactive drug THC in percentages between 8% and 20%. There have been many effects caused by the prohibition of hemp extending into the fields agriculture, medicine, textiles, and bio-fuels to name a few. By looking at the effects of outlawing industrial hemp we can begin to better understand one aspect of the absurdity the U.S. War on Drugs has left us with these past decades.
Industrial hemp has 25,000 uses or products. That is the number of things the global market for hemp estimates it can be used for. The U.S. is missing out on the chance to produce and export these items for the betterment of our economy and country. Recent industry estimates put the retail sales of hemp products in the U.S. around $300 million annually. We import all hemp based items while they could easily be produced here, keeping the market in our own back yard, literally. We could also export crops or innovative products which would also be useful. The fibers of the hemp plant are used in a wide range of products that according to Johnson include, but are not limited to, fabrics and textiles, yarns and raw or processed spun fibers, paper, carpeting, home furnishings, construction and insulation materials, auto parts, and composites (4). Refer below to Johnsons flowchart illustrating hemp products (5).
Parnas outlines the possibility of using hemp in production of fuels. He states: One promising source for biodiesel production is the fiber crop Cannabis sativa Linn, known as industrial hemp its cultivation has a low cost and a low environmental impact in addition, hemp has another advantage as a fuel source. It has a high biomass content which can be fermented to create low carbon fuels, such as bioethanol or biobutanol in fact, industrial hemp is one of the few plants that produce high yields of both oil and biomass, which means it can be used to produce both biodiesel and bioethanol. This statement allows us to glimpse the possibilities hemp creates in relation to becoming independent of fossil fuels and creating more sustainable fuel sources for ourselves. Had it not been outlawed these past seventy years imagine what kind of refining and production technology we would have for hemp products. Environmental aspects of cannabis as a crop should also be considered, especially in current times when environmental sustainability is becoming more important every day. To cite Kolosov: American farmers continued to grow hemp finding it a useful rotation crop because it acted as a natural herbicide- a dense, rapidly growing crop, it choked out weeds prior to the next planting of corn and other crops unlike cotton, it requires no chemical pesticides hemp absorb(s) large quantities of carbon dioxide as it grows (241).
In the past two decades public interest and desire for the ability begin cultivating industrial hemp has given rise to some legislative efforts at the state level and federal level of government. Johnson tells us in the summary of her paper, nine states have legalized the cultivation and research of industrial hemp, including Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Vermont, and West Virginia federal law still prohibits cultivation. Many more states have also done some sort of feasibility or marketing studies and others have passed bills or resolutions related to industrial hemp. This shows the desire our nation has to begin cultivating this wonderful crop but the federal government, more specifically the Drug Enforcement Agency, seems to put up irrational roadblocks at every turn. The people can see there is a clear difference between industrial hemp and marijuana but alas our leaders and government agencies refuse to take another look at the facts.
It is easy to see that industrial hemp is a wise alternative to other products. The decline of U.S. manufacturing in the past decades, growing environmental concerns associated with fossil fuels and farming practices, and an outlandish dependence on foreign fossil fuels are all areas facts illustrate that Cannabis sativa can possibly help remedy. Hemp is easy to grow and can do so almost anywhere. Instead of importing millions of dollars worth of a product we can produce and export our own supply and thereby assist our economy. Environmentally hemp is more beneficial and less destructive then most other crops, bio-fuels, or products we make. It does not require herbicides or pesticides, produces more biomass with less area and time than trees or other bio-fuel candidates, and if used in products requires less harmful chemical processing than other materials. Its ability to be converted into a sustainable and cheap bio-fuel is unprecedented and should be researched. If only the past seventy years we could have given industrial hemp the focus it deserved imagine the myriad of uses we would have for it. Instead we developed petroleum based products and abused the planet with their byproducts and uses. Hopefully the American public can realize the effect of industrial hemp being illegal has had on our country and planet. We then need to change our laws and policies to allow this wonderful crop to be farmed, researched, and utilized for all.
Works Cited:
Johnson, Renée. "Hemp as an Agricultural Commodity: RL32725." Congressional Research
Service: Report (2010): 1-22. International Security & Counter Terrorism Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 24 July 2011.
Kolosov, Christine A. "EVALUATING THE PUBLIC INTEREST: REGULATION OF
INDUSTRIAL HEMP UNDER THE CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES ACT." UCLA Law Review 57.1 (2009): 237-274. Business Source Elite. EBSCO. Web. 24 July 2011.
Richard S. Parnas, et al. "The feasibility of converting Cannabis sativa L. oil into biodiesel."
Bioresource Technology 101.21 (2010): 8457-8460. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 24 July 2011.
-----------------------------BREAK----------------------------------------
By: asublimeutopia
ENGL101- Essay 4
Professor Blankity Blank
July 24 2011
-The Effects of Industrial Hemp Being Illegal-
The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 began the tumultuous history of Cannabis and its illegality in our country seventy-four years ago. Prior to 1937 it is an agricultural product grown in many countries with innumerable uses. Cannabis sativa L. is the name of the hemp plant which by definition is grown for its fibers and seed crop and contains less than 1% THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and usually only contains 0.3% THC. It is related to the more commonly known marijuana, also Cannabis sativa, which contains the psychoactive drug THC in percentages between 8% and 20%. There have been many effects caused by the prohibition of hemp extending into the fields agriculture, medicine, textiles, and bio-fuels to name a few. By looking at the effects of outlawing industrial hemp we can begin to better understand one aspect of the absurdity the U.S. War on Drugs has left us with these past decades.
Industrial hemp has 25,000 uses or products. That is the number of things the global market for hemp estimates it can be used for. The U.S. is missing out on the chance to produce and export these items for the betterment of our economy and country. Recent industry estimates put the retail sales of hemp products in the U.S. around $300 million annually. We import all hemp based items while they could easily be produced here, keeping the market in our own back yard, literally. We could also export crops or innovative products which would also be useful. The fibers of the hemp plant are used in a wide range of products that according to Johnson include, but are not limited to, fabrics and textiles, yarns and raw or processed spun fibers, paper, carpeting, home furnishings, construction and insulation materials, auto parts, and composites (4). Refer below to Johnsons flowchart illustrating hemp products (5).
Parnas outlines the possibility of using hemp in production of fuels. He states: One promising source for biodiesel production is the fiber crop Cannabis sativa Linn, known as industrial hemp its cultivation has a low cost and a low environmental impact in addition, hemp has another advantage as a fuel source. It has a high biomass content which can be fermented to create low carbon fuels, such as bioethanol or biobutanol in fact, industrial hemp is one of the few plants that produce high yields of both oil and biomass, which means it can be used to produce both biodiesel and bioethanol. This statement allows us to glimpse the possibilities hemp creates in relation to becoming independent of fossil fuels and creating more sustainable fuel sources for ourselves. Had it not been outlawed these past seventy years imagine what kind of refining and production technology we would have for hemp products. Environmental aspects of cannabis as a crop should also be considered, especially in current times when environmental sustainability is becoming more important every day. To cite Kolosov: American farmers continued to grow hemp finding it a useful rotation crop because it acted as a natural herbicide- a dense, rapidly growing crop, it choked out weeds prior to the next planting of corn and other crops unlike cotton, it requires no chemical pesticides hemp absorb(s) large quantities of carbon dioxide as it grows (241).
In the past two decades public interest and desire for the ability begin cultivating industrial hemp has given rise to some legislative efforts at the state level and federal level of government. Johnson tells us in the summary of her paper, nine states have legalized the cultivation and research of industrial hemp, including Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Vermont, and West Virginia federal law still prohibits cultivation. Many more states have also done some sort of feasibility or marketing studies and others have passed bills or resolutions related to industrial hemp. This shows the desire our nation has to begin cultivating this wonderful crop but the federal government, more specifically the Drug Enforcement Agency, seems to put up irrational roadblocks at every turn. The people can see there is a clear difference between industrial hemp and marijuana but alas our leaders and government agencies refuse to take another look at the facts.
It is easy to see that industrial hemp is a wise alternative to other products. The decline of U.S. manufacturing in the past decades, growing environmental concerns associated with fossil fuels and farming practices, and an outlandish dependence on foreign fossil fuels are all areas facts illustrate that Cannabis sativa can possibly help remedy. Hemp is easy to grow and can do so almost anywhere. Instead of importing millions of dollars worth of a product we can produce and export our own supply and thereby assist our economy. Environmentally hemp is more beneficial and less destructive then most other crops, bio-fuels, or products we make. It does not require herbicides or pesticides, produces more biomass with less area and time than trees or other bio-fuel candidates, and if used in products requires less harmful chemical processing than other materials. Its ability to be converted into a sustainable and cheap bio-fuel is unprecedented and should be researched. If only the past seventy years we could have given industrial hemp the focus it deserved imagine the myriad of uses we would have for it. Instead we developed petroleum based products and abused the planet with their byproducts and uses. Hopefully the American public can realize the effect of industrial hemp being illegal has had on our country and planet. We then need to change our laws and policies to allow this wonderful crop to be farmed, researched, and utilized for all.
Works Cited:
Johnson, Renée. "Hemp as an Agricultural Commodity: RL32725." Congressional Research
Service: Report (2010): 1-22. International Security & Counter Terrorism Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 24 July 2011.
Kolosov, Christine A. "EVALUATING THE PUBLIC INTEREST: REGULATION OF
INDUSTRIAL HEMP UNDER THE CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES ACT." UCLA Law Review 57.1 (2009): 237-274. Business Source Elite. EBSCO. Web. 24 July 2011.
Richard S. Parnas, et al. "The feasibility of converting Cannabis sativa L. oil into biodiesel."
Bioresource Technology 101.21 (2010): 8457-8460. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 24 July 2011.
