Using Marijuana for United States Industry

Everyday our planet heads for drastically worse economic and ecological times. The planet is plagued with pollution, deforestation, disease, and other blemishes. However, there may be a solution in this world of imperfection, a way to solve many of our problems. The funny thing is it's been around since before mankind ever came into existence, and it was one of the first things the human race utilized in the ancient worlds. This proposed solution, too many of our planets current problems, is a plant called hemp (Cannabis sativa). Hemp has had a rich history in our world, and its uses are plentiful, as are the reasons it is often left in the dust in our current day and age. Especially in the United States of America, which is about as anti-hemp as anti-hemp gets. This paper will discuss the possibilities of hemp in the USA by talking about the plants history focusing on the United States and there acts to get rid of this plant, its many uses, and what it could mean for our countries (and worlds) future.

The first piece of paper ever created by human hands was 100% hemp. In the 16^th century hemp was European's choice for paper, and the original Gutenberg and King James Bible were written on it. The uniforms for our soldiers and the flags of the world's countries were made from this material (Hemp). Even in the beginning of the United States, hemp was common place. In colonial America hemp was used to make ships (the sails, the riggings (rope), the caulk between the wood, and even the sailor's clothes), wagon canvases were made of the material (canvas in fact comes from cannabis which is ancient Sumerian), and founding fathers such as Thomas Jefferson urge farmers not to grow tobacco, but to grow hemp instead. The Declaration of Independence was written on hemp paper (Hemp). So how, with such a rich history of helping America grow into what it is today is this crop illegal? Through the creation of a single word, marijuana. Marijuana is the term for the strains of Cannabis sativa that have a drug like effect, the term that scares the US government into outlawing this plant entirely without regard to hemp and marijuana's vast differences.

The story of the creation of the word marijuana goes like this. In the 1930s there was competition between the different means of production to control the paper making industry. This was largely due to the fact that hemp was still being processed by hand, while other industries where already mechanized. However, in 1935 hemp production got its much needed industrialization and better and better way to handle the plant came about. In the seven years following this industrialization hemp production grew from 1,000 tons to a huge 14,000 tons. Around this time there was a company called DuPont which handled the shipping of all the chemicals needed to make paper out of trees. DuPont is a petro chemical company, meaning they derive chemicals mostly from petroleum. Scared they would lose their money making opportunity, DuPont sent out on a smear campaign to destroy the view of hemp, and they started by changing its name.

They made people fear marijuana through propaganda, highlighting its psychological effects as a drug in outlandish ways(such as in a movie in which it was stated that marijuana is worse than heroin or cocaine, and that it'll make you kill your entire family). They steered clear of ever stating it was the same plant as hemp. In effect, the elimination of hemp as plant in the US came about due to industrial espionage (Hemp). Today there are still many myths about the differences between these two plants. Dr. David P. West put out a report intending, "to inform the debate (between industrial hemp and marijuana) by offering scientific evidence, so that farmers, policy makers, manufacturers, and the general public can distinguish between myth and reality." West says for too many years, emotion - not reason - has guided our policy for this crop (West 1). Some myths West proves wrong are the United States law has always treated marijuana and hemp the same, smoking industrial hemp gets a person high, and legalizing hemp while continuing prohibition on marijuana would burden police forces. The history of laws in the USA shows that at one time the government not only understood, but also accepted the distinction between hemp and marijuana. The Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 defines marijuana as:

(A)ll parts of the plant Cannabis sativa L., whether growing or not; the seeds thereof; the resin extracted from any such plant; and every compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of such plant, its seeds, or resin; but shall not include the mature stalks of such plant, fiber produced from such stalks, oil or cake made from the seeds of such plant, any other compound, manufacture salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of such mature stalks (except the resin extracted there from), fiber, oil, or cake, or the sterilized seed of such plant which is incapable of germination. (9)

This law clearly distinguished between the drug uses and other uses of the plant. The Cannabis plant has many different species and it produces two distinct molecules THC (delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol). THC, found predominantly in marijuana, is the chemical that produces the psychoactive effects; while CBD has recently been shown to block the effect of THC in the nervous system. Hemp is high in CBD and low in THC, so in effect it prevents marijuana's high. As West puts it, "it could be called 'antimarijuana (8).'" In other countries there has been no burden on local police, due to the legalization of hemp. A large number of low-THC plants have been created and approved by these local governments. Individual farmers and manufacturers in these countries are licensed and registered.

The law never needs to interfere with hemp, unless there is probable cause (15). Around the world hemp is being tested by local farmers who have requested permission to grow this crop, which has been similarly banned by other countries. Places such as Great Britain and Canada. This movement naturally also occurred in the United States, but it was quickly stopped (Morris 1). Morris explains in the United States the only means of hemp legalization is through the DEA, not through agriculture, health, or food agencies. For the DEA, the cultivation of hemp goes against its very mission. The DEA also has an increasingly large growing budget. The article says:

In 1985, the federal war on drugs cost about $1.5 billion. That was about one third of federal spending on the environment, one sixth of spending on energy and only 3 percent of federal spending on agriculture. Today, the drug war budget is over $20 billion, three times the environment budget, 50 percent more than the energy budget and approaching 30 percent of the entire agriculture budget. (2)

The problem with this war on drugs is that there is little distinction between hard drugs and soft drugs, and absolutely no distinction between hemp and marijuana. So the DEA has cracked down on anything and everything involving industrial hemp. To this day, the DEA allowed only one trial cultivation center, a small half-acre of land, which was forced to have an extremely massive security system. In trying to win a distinction between the species of Cannabis the pro industrial hemp producers distanced themselves from the pro medical marijuana supporters. By distancing themselves from the pro marijuana supporters the industrial hemp supporters made a mistake. This is because medical marijuana gained support and by 2001 was available in eight states. This was gained because medical marijuana and recreational marijuana supporters have large followings. While industrial hemp isn't so strongly pushed for. Both industries and farmers have other means of manufacturing or other crops to grow, and the fight against the DEA makes it not worth it. Choosing to go hemp causes normal businesses to have problems. To this day the DEA continues its attacks against industrial hemp and nothing is being done (Morris 4). That brings us to our current day.

There are many different uses for industrial hemp in today's society. Hemp has the ability to be made into a lot of different things, thousands of different things. Things such as food, textiles, fuel, and paper pulp. The benefit of choosing industrial hemp over other plants agriculturally also has many benefits. Hemp as a plant itself provides many advantages to farmers; it serves as weed control, disease resistance, eliminates the needs of pesticides, improves the soil it is planted in, is able to be planted in more extreme conditions than most plants, produces a high yield, and grows quickly. In a study conducted in Holland, Lotz showed hemps superior weed suppressing ability. He concluded, "...hemp was the most competitive crop in this study. Selecting this crop in a rotation will cause the strongest population reduction of [weeds] on infested farmland." This is due to hemps growth pattern, it grows dense and tall, thus effectively killing out many common weeds. Hemp itself is also a very strong plant, which eliminates the needs of pesticides, unlike crops such as cotton which hemp has the ability to replace. In Australia hemp is being used not only as a natural weed suppressant, but also to repair land. Due to its long roots, and the fact that these roots stay in the ground when the plant is harvested, hemp effectively binds the soil together and re-nourishes it while the plant itself is gone (Hemp).

Hemp can also be planted in many more locations than most plants due to its extreme resilience, such as at high latitudes. This is due to the plant being able to grow in little daylight, which is one of the reasons it produces such high yields (Calloway). Due to hemps effect on soil it even has been shown to increase succeeding crops yields in a rotation by 10-15% (Ranailli 3). As hemp grows closely to one another and usually is fully grown within 7 weeks the plant produces a lot more than most other plants (Thompson). The seeds of the hemp plant are one area of the plant that if utilized properly has many opportunities for use in the United States. One such use is the use of the seeds as food. Calloway shows us in his article all the nutritional values of eating this seed, as it contains dietary oil, protein, vitamins, and minerals. Not only is this a great thing for a human to eat, but it is also has uses as livestock feed (Calloway). These seeds are not only nutritious and edible, but they are also completely THC (drug) free. These seeds also are made up of about 40% hemp seed oil. This oil has many applications for use. One such use, which dates back centuries, is the creation of oil based paint, which is completely non-toxic. Another much more applicable application of this oil is as fuel. Not only can this oil serve as a direct substitute for diesel, but it can also be used to create ethanol.

Ethanol is an alcohol which can be derived from most grains, currently in the United States ethanol is being created through the use of corn, which has greatly decreased the supply and thus increased the price of many goods. Hemp could be used to meet the demand for ethanol. The use of ethanol in cars in preventing pollution is obvious. It burns clean, producing almost minimal pollution. In fact, many states have implemented 10-15% ethanol into the gasoline you pump into your car every day, to reduce harmful emission outputs. A great way to see how clean ethanol burns is by looking at two engines, one running gasoline and one running ethanol. After 3,500 miles the engine burning the gasoline will be black with carbon deposits, while the ethanol engine you could run a white glove test on its insides and still see no residue on your hand. One study found that an engine running a 15% ethanol- 85% gasoline mixture reduces its carbon dioxide output by 40%, its smoke output by 50%, and it nitrous oxide output by 60% (Hemp). The oil can also be used as a source of epoxy fatty acids which are used in the production of plastics and other industrial products (Ranailli 3). Hemp fibers are also very useful and using them would greatly benefit the planet as well.

The fibers that the hemp plant produces are one of the best on Earth. In the textiles industry hemp would make a great substitute for not only cotton, but many other fabrics as well. Decline in hemp for textiles occurred for several reasons such as the "introduction of synthetic fibers, association of the plant with illegal narcotics, and the large scale production of cotton (Ranailli 3)." However, new technologies have changed this. Today, hemp can be made into almost any type of fabrics from a coarse fabrics (such as a vacuum bag) to a fine linen that you would think and believe is silk. Hemp is also the most durable of the fibers and in tests of this it was proven that the hemp never weakens, only softens to the touch. The way hemp grows also come into its use with textiles, its high yields mean it produces 200% of what cotton would produce, and no pesticides are needed. Cotton needs a constant coating of pesticides throughout its growth cycle (Hemp). Hemp fibers can also be used in the creation of paper pulp. Currently our planet consumes 100,000s of tons of paper each year, and that is the equivalent of 100,000s of acres of forests each year.

Forests that take 150 years to mature and only 40-80 years to cut down. Rapid deforestation is taking place all over the world, especially in the United States. Not only that, but the chemicals needed to make trees into paper pulp are very hazardous. Thousands of chemicals are used to transform the trees into paper, including hazardous dioxins and chloroform. Hemps high yields have made it not only a sustainable crop, but also a more profitably crop in paper production. In Australia, forests will bring in 70-80$ a ton, while hemp will bring in $400 a ton. Hemp is also a much better fiber than those of trees. The longer a fiber is the stronger the product is, most hemp fibers are feet long, while most tree fibers are about an inch long. If you created two fiber-boards that were the same density, one being made from hemp and the other from trees, the hemp board will be 2-3 times stronger than the tree board. Hemp fibers are so versatile that they can be made into anything from a 2x4 to the body of a stealth bomber. Hemp could be used to replace food containers (such as plastic, Styrofoam, and cardboard) which would provide a non toxic waste. Our nation's landfills are currently being filled with these non-biodegradable materials. The hemp containers could be thrown on the ground and become instant fertilizer (Hemp). The uses for hemp are endless.

Hemp is the answer. Hemp will provide a solution to many of our planet and countries serious environmental and socio-economic problems. As it is a completely sustainable resource that can replace many of the current problems we are facing. First of all, hemps ability to improve soil will mean better crops and the ability to refurbish previously non-plant able lands (Ranailli 3). Second, hemp can fix our current deforestation problem while providing a higher quality good at the same time, with a lot fewer chemicals. Third, hemp can create many jobs in states such as Arkansas (Cochran) and Kentucky (Thompson) as proven by two separate economic studies, production facilities will need to be created in order to process the hemp. Forth, hemp can supply ethanol to the world, which is in desperate need of a new fuel, which would free up crops such as corn. Hemp is by far the most economically feasible and environmental sound resource for the job (Deeley 5). Fifth, consider all the products that are currently dependant on fossil fuels that hemp could replace (Deeley 5).

There is currently a study written by an economics professor at the University of Melbourne in Australia that explores the impacts on both domestic industries and the quality of the environment of allowing industrial hemp production in the United States. This study looks at these impacts in three different "States of the World", that each reflects alternative assumptions about the technology being used for production. In doing so it found that in all three states the impact is substantially good in allowing industrial hemp. A double dividend arises in that in each "state" land use decreases and environmental quality improves (Alden). Hemps cousin marijuana also has many medicinal effects that can help save lives. It truly is a miracle plant.

If hemp was introduced in the United States it would lead to many great things. The ability for this plant to be used to solve so many of our countries current economic and environmental problems is amazing. Currently, the only thing stopping such a change is politics. What will it take for the nation to realize that a lot of our problems can be solved, and the only thing stopping this is false accusations against a plant? A plant that has been utilized by man since the beginning of our history. A plant that helped form our nation today. A plant that can form our future... into a better one. Popular Mechanics stated in 1938, in an article called "The Billion Dollar Crop":

Hemp is the standard fiber of the world. It has great tensile strength and durability. It is used to produce more than 5,000 textile products, ranging from rope to fine laces, and the woody "hurds" remaining after the fiber has been removed contain more than seventy-seven per cent cellulose, and can be used to produce more than 25,000 products, ranging from dynamite to Cellophane.

Sources

Alden, M. Dave et al. "Industrial hemp's double dividend: a study for the USA." Ecological Economics 25.3 (1998): 291-301.

Callaway, C. J. "Hemp as Food at High Latitudes" Journal of Industrial Hemp. 7.1 (2002): 110-21.

Cochran, J. Mark. Et al. "Feasibility of Industrial Hemp Production in Arkansas." 2002.

Deeley, R. Mark. "Could Cannabis Provide an Answer to Climate Change?" Journal of Industrial Hemp. 7.1 (2002): 136-141.

Hemp Revolution. Dir. Anthony Clark. Domestic Theatrical Distributor. 1995.

Lotz, L. et al. 1991. "Reduction of growth and reproduction of Cyperus esculentus by specific crops." Weed Research 31:153-160.

Morris Davis. "Why has the Hemp Revolution Bypassed the United States?" Journal of Industrial Hemp 7.2 (2002).

Ranalli, Paolo., Venturi, Gianpietro. "Hemp as a raw material for industrial applications." Euphytica. 140(2004): 1-6.

Thompson, C. Eric. Et al Economic Impact of Industrial Hemp in Kentucky. Center for Business and Economic Research University of Kentucky: 1998.

West, P David Ph.D. "Hemp and Marijuana: Myths & Realities" North American Industrial Hemp Council.