Cannabis Hemp Essay Research Paper Why is

Cannabis Hemp Essay, Research Paper

Why is it that the one plant that could save our planet from certain environmental destruction is illegal in our country. The Cannabis plant is grown legally for hemp in many countries around the world and yet the government of this country continues to view it as a dangerous plant. The prohibition of the Cannabis plant in this country is one of the greatest injustices in our history. Cannabis has been used by humans for its fibers, oils, and medical qualities for more than 10,000 years. It seems as though Cannabis was created with the basic needs of humans in mind. It can provide us with clothing, building materials, fuel, oils, food, and many other products that are currently synthetically made. Our world economy could be based on this one plant instead of harmful petroleum. Humans who are concerned about their environment should fight for the legalization of the cannabis plant. It is the only renewable resource that can meet our consumption needs for paper, food, and fiber. Not only can hemp meet our needs, it can often produce a higher quality product than what is currently produced.

For thousands of years cultures across the globe have recognized and utilized the amazing qualities of the Cannabis plant. Our government refuses to recognize that hemp has beneficial uses and in doing so directly lies to its citizens. The history of humans and

the use of hemp products go back as far as the last ice age. Ten thousand years ago in Turkey hemp was used widely to make ropes, cloth, and fishing nets. The ancient Chinese were also users of hemp. They made their first paper with hemp and also ropes, clothing, and medicines. References to the medicinal properties of marijuana were found in a Chinese emperor’s pharmacopeia. Hemp was also the dominant fiber used in the ship building industry until the late 1800s. It was used for ropes, rigging, and sails because of its strength and durability.

Our country also has a history with the Cannabis plant. In colonial times hemp played such a large role in America’s maritime industry that in some colonies farmers had to grow hemp. Hemp played a role in our country’s fight for independence. The first drafts of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence were written on hemp paper and the sails and rigging for our naval ships, like the U.S.S. Constitution, were made of hemp. Both Thomas Jefferson and George Washington grew hemp on their plantations and advocated its use. As our country expanded from the east to west hemp was there. The wagons of the pioneers were covered in hemp canvas and Levi Straus made the first pair of Levis out of the same material. The heavy hemp canvas and Straus’s riveting system made the jeans the work wear of choice for the gold miners in California. Other famous American businessmen have been advocates of hemp. Henry Ford built a car that had a body made entirely of hemp fiber and it ran on hemp fuel.

The darkest chapter in our country’s long history with the Cannabis plant came in the late 1930’s. Before this time both marijuana and hemp had been completely legal in the U.S., but in 1937 the Marijuana Tax Act and other laws made it illegal to posses marijuana or hemp. This completely destroyed the emerging U.S. hemp industry, right at a time when advancements in the processing and harvesting of hemp would make it a major competitor of the fiber, pulp, and synthetics industries. Some feel that the prohibition of hemp was a deliberate act funded by companies like Dupont and by individuals such as William Randolph Hearst. Both had business interests that could be hurt by a growing hemp industry. They knew that a prohibition of marijuana would also outlaw hemp and thus destroy a possible competitor. During World War Two hemp again played a role in our nation’s history. During the war the prohibition against hemp was repealed because of the need of hemp for the war effort. A film called Hemp for Victory was produced that extolled the virtues of hemp, urging farmers to grow hemp for the war effort. When the war ended hemp was once again made illegal in the U.S.

The tie between industrial hemp and the drug marijuana is not very strong. Banning hemp because of its relation to marijuana would be like banning wheat because it can be made into alcohol. Industrial hemp contains a negligible amount of THC, the main intoxicant found in marijuana, and some strains produced today are drug free. The benefits that would come from a hemp industry would by far outweigh the “negative” effects of legalizing a plant that is a distant cousin to marijuana. They are not the same thing! If the people of this world knew the truth of the hemp plant, not the lies our

government spreads, our world could be a much better place. Instead, we choose to follow the doctrine set up by our politicians that does nothing but pollute our world, play into the hands of the corporations, create a dangerous black market for drugs, and ultimately mar the American dream.

The possibilities for uses of the Cannabis plant are nearly endless. About 50,000 uses for this plant have already been identified and more are being developed. One of the most eco-friendly products that can be made of hemp is paper. Hemp paper can be made from hemp alone or a hemp/recycled product blend. Hemp can be made into many types of paper products and these papers are shown to be str