Hemp Proves To Be Beneficial Essay Research

Hemp Proves To Be Beneficial Essay, Research Paper

Hemp Proves to be Beneficial

Researching hemp I have found that there are many more benefits in legalizing it, then there are keeping it illegal. When interviewing people I found that the majority of the people who know the difference between hemp and marijuana agreed that it should be legalized and if they didn.t I informed them on hemp they agreed it should be legalized. In this paper I will tell you many reason.s why I think hemp should be legalized and I will give you reason.s why other people think it should remain illegal in the United States.

Hemp is the stalk and blast of the plant Cannabis Sativa and only contains 1% or less of THC (The Economist 1). THC is the chemical which causes you to get high and is found in marijuana. Marijuana is a recreational drug that has many medical uses and it is the leaf of Cannabis Sativa.

Hemp Cannabis Sativa is a plant that grows from one to five meters high in a short growing season of 120 days. Its long taproot allows it to grow in any weather conditions, which makes it convenient to grow in large quantities where there is no irrigation, and can be grown in all 50 states (Marijuana par. 8).

Hemp is better than cotton, the trees we use to make paper, and the construction materials we use.

Hemp was one of the first cultivated crops known to man. It has been around since 8000 BC. It was required to grow hemp when America was becoming a country. People had the option to pay their taxes with it; George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew and supported hemp. Then in 1937 the Marijuana Tax Act was passed which killed the industry that year (Marijuana par. 8). It was legalized again during WWII to help the solders with their pain. Up until the 1990.s the legalization of hemp was not an issue, but now people see the economic values that hemp has and the issue is becoming huge.

The reason hemp was banned was because of the increasing number of people using it as a cover up to growing marijuana for recreational purposes. But, what most people don.t know is that it was banned in the senate without any say from people who new the value of hemp toward the growth of the nation. After it was band, marijuana was no longer a problem and that.s how the United States wants to keep it. But have they thought about the fact that domesticating pot production would eliminate the bloody smuggling trades at the southern border of the United States.

Some of hemp.s many uses are paper, textiles, construction materials, food, rope, plastics and fuel. All of these are made from hemp, not marijuana, which has a very small amount THC in it (Martin par. 9).

Many people think hemp will soon be replaced by cotton due to its many benefits. Why is hemp better than cotton. Here are just a few reasons. One acre of hemp will produce as much fiber as two or three acres of cotton. Hemp requires no pesticides or herbicides and only small amounts of fertilizer. On the other hand, cotton uses 50% of the world.s pesticides and herbicides. Hemp is also stronger, softer, and lasts longer than cotton (Marijuana par. 3).

The advantages of using hemp to produce paper is that one acre of hemp will produce as much paper as two to four acres of trees. This would gross United States farmers $19-30 billion, and would save consumers money (Martin par 8). Also, like cotton, paper uses a lot of chemicals and by using hemp the chemicals used in the process of making paper would be reduced by 80%. The most important reason hemp should be used in paper production is that there is a limited number of trees left on this planet and the tree take to long to grow to keep up with the worlds demand. If we decided to start recycling more hemp it can be recycled many more times than paper today, since it is free of all acid.

Using hemp when making plywood and fiberboard makes the board stronger, lighter, and longer lasting then regular wood. Hemp board is used in more and more new houses due to its durability in earthquakes, hurricanes and other severe weather. Hemp is also been used in making bio-plastics recently they have been using the fibers inside the blast for composite materials. Because of the strength of hemp fiber the success of the research is increasing.

Food is another use for hemp. With a handful of hemp seeds you can get the essential amount of protein and fatty acids you need in a day. Hemp seed is the only seed, which contains these oils with almost no saturated fat. By using hemp seed as a supplement in your diet you can reduce the risk of heart disease. Hemp seed is better than soybeans, it hemp resists UV-B light better then soy. And if the ozone layers where to deplete by 16% the soybean production would drop 25-30% (Hemp industry, par 12).

Hemp should it remain Illegal. That is what a majority of this countries government feels. Carol Falkowski states, .The problem is not people will get high smoking the low-TCH hemp, but that it is indistinguishable from its more potent cousin and could serve as a cover for illegal cultivation . a worry that hemp supporters scoff at. (Suzukamo 6C). By legalizing hemp, many feel as though you are legalizing marijuana, since most people think that they are the same thing. Also hemp would be a good cover up to grow marijuana illegally again. This is the only reason why people think that