The Truth About Hemp

We all worry to some extent about the environment. Some of us more than others. I'm the daughter of a hippie and a flower child, so it's natural to me.

One of my biggest enemies, as a hippie kid that is, is cotton. I know we all watch TV and see the Hanns commercials that tell us to support cotton growers but there is so much that the commercial leaves out.

For instance, according to the Australian National University, conventionally grown cotton uses more insecticides than any other single crop and epitomizes the worst effects of chemically dependent agriculture. Each year cotton producers around the world use nearly $2.6 billion worth of pesticides ~ more than 10% of the world's pesticides and nearly 25% of the world's insecticides. According to the Pesticide Action Network ~ North America, pesticide used on cotton - even when used according to instructions- harm people, wildlife and the environment. These pesticides can poison farm workers, drift into neighboring communities and contaminate ground and surface water and kill beneficial insect and soil micro-organisms. Another thing that is guilty of killing, by association of course, is all of us. Not like we really have a choice, our college instructors, bosses and friends make us do it. Yes, I'm talking about killing trees for paper. Here are some of the facts about paper, according to MSNBC:

- One million trees would be saved if every U.S. household replaced just one 250-count package of virgin fiber napkins with 100 percent recycled ones.
- 544,000 trees would be saved by replacing a 70-sheet roll of virgin fiber paper towels.
- 424,000 trees would be spared by replacing a 500-sheet roll of virgin fiber toilet paper.
- 170,000 trees would be saved by replacing one 175-count box of virgin fiber facial tissue.

Now if I haven't made you feel like a complete monster, na, I'm going to give you a solution to the problem: Hemp. Okay yes, I'm a complete hippie kid. First of all let me give you a background on hemp. You can't get high off of hemp. It has a natural THC (the stuff that gets you high) blocker. You could smoke a bale of it and get a headache. The Declaration and the Constitution were written on hemp as well as the Gutenberg Bible ( the first bible printed) and more than one of our Founding Fathers grew hemp as a cash crop. Hemp grows well without herbicides, fungicides, or pesticides, so right there it's better for the environment.

Now let's get back to the topic. How could hemp replace cotton, you are asking? Well, the most commonly seen hemp produces are clothing. Most of the time hemp is mixed with organic cotton (which uses no pesticides) to bring down the cost. Hemp clothing is warmer, softer, and more absorbent and last 2 to 3 times longer than cotton. The good news; if shopping is NOT a favorite past time for you, buy hemp. And yes, there is hemp underwear so you don't have to buy Hanns.

Now on to the paper, hemp is the world's best paper making material from a quality, environmental and sustainability standpoint. One acre of hemp provides the same amount of pulping material grown in four acres of trees. If having white paper is important to you, hemp can be whitened by using hydrogen peroxide. Hemp paper manufacturing can reduce wastewater contamination. Hemp's low lignin content reduces the need for acids used in pulping, and its creamy color lends itself to environmentally friendly bleaching instead of harsh chlorine compounds. Less bleaching results in less dioxin and fewer chemical byproducts. Hemp fiber paper resists decomposition, and does not yellow with age when an acid-free process is used. Hemp paper more than 1,500 years old has been found in China. It can also be recycled more times then paper (which can only be recycled 3 times before the fiber is too short to be used).

I know that here in Wyoming growing hemp is illegal but it is legal in Montana and 21 other states as well as many countries around the world. Most legislatures in the US that involves hemp growing is shot down, the latest was in California. There are so many things that one little plant can do that would help the environment.

What are you doing to help the planet?