HEMP

Hey, you got Hemp?! No, I don’t mean let’s get high; what I’m going to talk about is Hemp and its many incredible uses. A plant that could change our very existence now and for future generations.

It could effect our processes of obtaining cleaner energy for fuel, foods, medicines and personal use in an environmentally safer way. Your clothing and furniture can virtually last forever and you can actually drive your automobiles without the worry of high gas prices at the pump and even save important documents on paper that won’t rot and turn yellow!

Yes, this is the beautiful and wonderful Cannibus. It is usually associated with marijuana but different strains can actually be cultivated to create separate species without the THC. And let’s not forget it’s totally renewable and can be grown without chemicals that affect our drinking water and the air we breathe.

A couple of weeks ago I was waiting in line at my local supermarket when I noticed this lady’s handbag. This was a very elderly lady with a beautiful face full of wisdom and many earned wrinkles…she must have been in her 90’s. I complimented her on her purse and asked her where she got it. She told me a friend made it for her and knitted it out of Hemp.

After we both had checked out, I offered to buy her a coffee at the deli stand to which she replied, “Oh no dear, let’s drink hot chocolate…it’s so much better for your heart and always gives you a sweeter more positive start to your day.

Well, me and hot chocolate don’t match on a hot summer’s day, but I gave it a try anyway and she was right. I think we should all take the time to sit with the elderly. They have so many stories and so much wisdom to offer. Here was a woman in her 90’s (she later said she was in her 90’s) who drove and walked around and is totally independent. She must have done something right in her lifetime.

After sitting down, I gazed at her while she adjusted her glowing yellow poncho and removed her colorful orange wide-brimmed straw hat. After some small talk about life in general, I asked her to tell me more about Hemp. She spoke of years gone by and how this Hemp fiber was used in her own home for rope and paper or even making canvas bags for travel; or to hold animal feed and cooking grains. She said this was safe as Hemp is rot tolerant and won’t loose its color or shape. It was strong and seemed to last forever.

She also told me of the importance of Hemp during World War II and how the United States even had small documentaries for people to watch, encouraging the growth of hemp for the war effort. She gave much more information and she gave me permission to write it all down. She said I could call her Honey, although not her given name.

We thanked and hugged one another wishing each other well. I don’t know if I’ll ever see Honey again or if she even lives nearby, but that hour I spent with her by the deli counter will stay with me forever. Thanks Honey and may you continue to live a long and prosperous life… not worried about what others think, being an individual and giving a smile along the way.

INDUSTRIAL HEMP

The word Hemp comes from Western Europe to describe the different varieties of Cannabis plants – especially the ones like “industrial hemp” that were grown over the years to be used for industrial purposes such as those of fuel, paper, food, oil, fibers and seeds. Hemp has been cultivated for over 12,000 years and was originally native to Asia. It soon came to be grown in Europe and the United States.

The influence of this plant spread like wildfire. Did you know that the Magna Carta and the Gutenberg Bible were written on Hemp paper? There were laws in colonial times which promoted and demanded the production of Hemp. Washington and Jefferson grew Hemp and Ben Franklin opened up a Hemp paper mill; even Jefferson used Hemp paper to draft The Declaration of Independence. Hemp is incredibly strong and resists both decay and rotting. The fibers are far superior to cotton and even linen. Hemp was the best for canvas and the word canvas comes from the Latin Cannabis and the Dutch “canefas.”

Napoleon was really pissed off at the British Navy because for a really long time he couldn’t even hold them down, due to the fact that they had sails and riggings made out of Hemp!

Mr. Henry Ford worked on several experimental projects. He wanted to build Hemp cars (the outer body) and fuel them with hempseed oil.

“Why use up the forests, which were centuries in the making and the mines which required ages to lay down, if we can get the equivalent of forest and mineral products in the annual growth of the fields?” HENRY FORD

Any way, here’s what really pisses me off: back around the earliest part of the 20th century, companies developed a machine that separated the Cannabis stalks from the Hemp Hurds (the strongest part of the plant) thereby removing the long human process of ‘cut and bale’ techniques.

This mechanical device was to Hemp like the cotton gin was to cotton. At this point in time, Hemp was right on the edge of an industrial explosion, unfortunately it happened at the precise time that all Hemp was made ILLEGAL due to marijuana prohibition!

The DuPont Corporation (they make plastics from petrolatum), Andrew Mellon (an oil hogger) and William Randolph Hearst (tree hogger) all pushed for any and ALL types of Hemp to be prohibited for any type of use. Hemp was a clean and cheap raw material that could be converted into plastic, oil and tree-saving paper,etc. Mellon’s nephew-in-law, Harry Anslinger, turned out to be the head of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics. He was the one leading the campaign to make marijuana criminal in all aspects. Although I found this to be a conspiracy theory only…YOU think about it.

HEMP HURDS

– this part of the plant gives us a clean raw material in order to produce plastics, fossil fuels and is capable of raw clean energy. We can also use the Hemp hurds for fuel production. In this time in our history of America, when we estimate having only another 25 more years of petroleum left, we need to immediately put to work Hemp companies that will enable us to produce our own fuels, fuels which are cleaner for the environment, cheaper for us to purchase as consumers and enable transportation businesses to pay less for fuel. It could raise employment levels as well as save our country billions of dollars…possibly even enabling us to pay back the national deficit.

Hurds and its fibers produce paper that is far superior to wood. We could also make furniture and floors from Hemp hurd fibers (with modern biocomposites materials) that look better than wood and resists rot. The fiber from Hemp is still the strongest natural fiber known to man!! It has UV resistant properties which are best used on making canvas, rope and even fabrics that keep you cool in the summer time and warm in the winter. The seed gives us an outrageous raw material that turns into both oil and food.

…”one of the most promising crops in half a century…It could be the alternative crop farmers are looking for.” from: The American Farm Bureau Federation

There are some great books on Hemp at www.alibris.com

You can also shop for Hemp products from skirts and shampoos to coffee filters and candles. Just go to www.happyhippy.com – a directory for alternative natural living.

Try www.ecomall.com for lots of stores offering eco-friendly cleaning products.

One magazine is www.hempmagazine.com. or try www.hemptimes.com
Small Steps:

• Put Hemp supporting bumper stickers on your car and educate along the way.
• Hang an educating History of Hemp poster in your home where visitors can see it and read it.
  Wear T-shirts promoting your cause.
• Cook meals with Hempseed Oil or bake bread using Hempseeds.
• Read and educate yourself…become a member of a supportive group that will help legislate the cultivating of Hemp.
• Use Hemp products in your home where friends and families can take notice and ask questions.
• Buy Hemp clothing and body products.
• Turn you car engine into a Hempseed oil engine.
• Use Hemp for healing and medicinal purposes.
• Buy your kids Hemp notebook paper for school.
• Buy a hemp purse…they last forever!!!
• Buy a Hemp hat… cool in summer and warm in winter.Buy a Hemp coffee filter. You’ll never have to buy filters again as they are washable and reusable!
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A few of my favorite Hemp clothing and accessories sites:

www.hempsisters.com
www.butterflymama.com (they also specialize in selling Fair Trade)
www.hippyshop.com
www.soul-flower.com