Today, I am going to take a teensy, weensy little detour away from my usual topic of cannabis and talk about its kissing cousin, hemp. If that racist asswipe, Harry J. Anslinger, hadn't made it illegal in 1937, along with marijuana, we would be living in a very different world. So, fuck you, Harry J. Anslinger...and all the presidents afterwards, especially Nixon and Reagan, who further demonized marijuana and hemp and kept it illegal until...oh, wait, it is 2016 and cannabis is still fucking federally illegal, and hemp was made legal, kinda sorta, in 2014 as part of The Farm Bill. Don't get too excited since it is for "research purposes and pilot programs." American farmers still can't grow it, commercially.



Enjoy this idiotic video with the aforementioned Harry J. Anslinger

What exactly is hemp, you may be asking? Hemp, typically found in the northern hemisphere, is a variety of Cannabis sativa which is grown specifically for its industrial uses, of which there are many. It is fast growing, needs much less water and was one of the first plants to be spun into usable fiber as long as 10,000 years ago. All of the kerfuffle about marijuana and hemp has and still is due to its psychoactive component, tetrahydrocannabinol, more commonly known as THC. Hemp has lower concentrations of THC, less than 0.3%, and higher concentrations of cannabidiol (CBD) than recreational marijuana. You can smoke hemp until the cows come home and you will not get high. However, hemp got vilified along with marijuana during that entire "Reefer Madness" stupidity of the 1930s and beyond.

Hemp has a laundry list of groovy uses including the manufacture of rope, clothing, paper, textiles, plastics, insulation, biofuels and even entire houses are constructed from hemp blocks. And we've all eaten hemp seeds, amirite or amirite? Here's a fun fact; hemp was often used to make sail canvas, and the word canvas derives from cannabis.

While all of its uses are pretty incredible, the most exciting use, IMHO, is concrete-like blocks made with hemp and lime which have been used as an insulating material, known as hempcrete. But, don't just take it from me. Here is a video all about hemp with the testimonials from Americans and Brits who are using it to construct healthy, cost effective hemp homes that actually counteract the effects of global climate change.

Clarke Snell of the Nauhaus Institute of West Asheville, NC talks about their hempcrete house project. He is so effusive about it and calls it "the best wall system in the world." Hempcrete allows for the walls to be "breathable" and welcomes water without causing them to rot. The humidity is held by the walls until its level decreases inside the building and then it is released. It also sequesters 20,000 lbs of carbon rather than releasing it into the atmosphere, thereby diminishing the effects of global warming.

Another hempcrete construction project in Asheville, NC, which would have been completed already, was inspired by the developer whose child has environmental allergies. Hempcrete homes never get termites, never get dry rot, never have moisture problems and their energy costs are reduced by 50%. Wouldn't that be amazing? The stupid part is that the hemp is imported from the UK where it is allowed to grow....WTF?

Finally, in the UK, 42 homes were constructed with hempcrete. The developer commented that he cannot find a better, stronger, cheaper, more environmentally friendly material than hemp. In 14 weeks, enough hemp was grown to construct the hempcrete. The field of hemp was actually locking in the carbon that was being emitted from surrounding fossil fuel burning facilities. It is not only safe for the occupants, but also for the workers. He described it as a "no-brainer" and yet, how many people even know about it let alone are using hempcrete? We need to spread the word about this technology. So, if you think it is as amazing as I do, I hope you will share this post or even just the video.

Our planet and the lives of our children and grandchildren depend on us making smart decisions about reducing carbon emissions. The prognosis of the dire state of our planet by the end of this century is bleak unless we start making huge changes. Let's work together!

Thanks very much for reading and as always, I appreciate your comments.

PS: Sorry about the annoying background music in the hempcrete buildings video. You'll have to watch it to find out what I am talking about. LOL!

I've written a series of posts about medical marijuana. If you want to read more you can click on the "Medical Marijuana" tag at the top of my page.

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