The Future is Hemp
              
                                                              by Zeratha Monique Young

Hemp is undoubtedly one of the most amazing and versatile plants on earth.  Cannabis sativa L. of the cannabaceae or hemp family has almost endless uses and applications, and has been an invaluable plant to humans throughout many millennia.  It is this long, complex and fascinating human-hemp relationship that has drawn me to research this plant.  It is a plant surrounded by both mystery and controversy and is well worth researching.
    Hemp, although in the same family as marijuana, is considered a cousin to it and is a distinct variety within the species of which there are three types; C. sativa, C. Indica and C. ruderalis.  In this paper aspects of both marijuana and hemp will be discussed. Every part of a cannabis plant is useable and the uses for each botanical part will also be discussed.  Due to the almost world-wide cultivation and use of both hemp and marijuana there are many names representing the varieties of the cannabis species; grass, pot, hash, bhang, charas, ganja, ma, kif and dagga are only some of them.  The variety of names for this plant tell us of its cosmopolitan nature.
    Although hemp is now spread throughout the world, at one point, it is thought to have its origin somewhere in central Asia, probably near the Himalayan Mountains.  In Asia it was the first fiber plant to be cultivated and there is evidence that it was being grown around or even before the advent of agriculture ten thousand years ago.  There is archeological evidence from a twelve thousand year old Neolithic site, (in what is now Taiwan), that includes cultural artifacts containing hemp and objects used to process hemp.  In fact, one of the oldest archeological artifacts ever to be found was a piece of hemp cloth at a site in India, this fragment was dated to 8000 B.C.E.!  
    Hemp is thought to have been first spread from Asia by the Scythians who brought it from Asia through both Greece and Russia and into Europe.  The Scythians were part of the group of Aryans that invaded India.  They came from Siberia into the Middle East and then to India and from there to Europe spreading the hemp plant as they went. The history of this process is somewhat unclear however it is assumed that the spread of hemp was probably through cultural diffusion, from the Scythians to the local cultures they visited.  Hemp’s introduction to N. America is discussed below.
    Hemp is tightly intertwined with events in human history and some of these may surprise you.  Did you know that in order for Spain, Britain and Holland to establish competitive sea trade routes, (in light of the riches flowing in the 15th century from the Orient to Venice via the silk road), that they relied upon hemp to make them strong canvas sails?  It was one of the only materials considered durable enough to weather the rough seas.  The word canvas actually comes from the Latin word cannabis.  It was considered such an important crop that “as early as 1533 King Henry VIII required all farmers to cultivate one quarter acre of hemp or flax for every sixty acres of hemp or flax for every sixty acres of land under tillage” (121 Robinson).
     Columbus had eighty tons of hemp rigging and canvas that he brought with him across the Atlantic ocean in 1492.  Besides this momentous historical tidbit, the Mayflower also utilized hemp and brought it to America where apparently it grew much better than it had in Europe.  The British were not the first to bring hemp to N. America though, the Vikings also brought it with them a thousand years ago when they visited and most likely planted it while they were there.  “Cannabis was already in North America in prehistoric times, possibly brought from China by explorers, drifting shipwrecks, and birds migrating across the Bering Strait to the west coast of the continent” (124 Robinson). Although there are seemingly endless historical tidbits involving hemp only a few more will be mentioned.  
    In constructing the pyramids of Egypt hemp was used to pull blocks of limestone. The first known book, the Dharani, written in China was made of hemp paper. When the British first came to America it was still a requirement to grow hemp and in those early times of U.S. government both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were both written on hemp paper!  The last historic tie that will be noted is that of “Hemp for Victory” which was a film put out in 1942, (it is a mystery who put it out although it was probably the USDA), in which American farmers were urged to grow hemp for the reinforcement of war supplies during world war II.  Although the U.S. had been waging it’s own war against marijuana, (“reefer madness”), for quite some time, and had passed the marijuana tax act in 1937, at the point of world war II the U.S. government realized that there was a desperate need for hemp to make canvas and other supplies.  The reason for such desperation was that Japan had cut off its supply to the U.S. and so there was a short supply.
     Cannabis’ use as a psychotropic plant is also intimately linked to human spiritual and religious history.  There are actually religions that have been founded upon the use of marijuana, most notably Rastafarianism which is an offshoot of Christianity.  Hindu scriptures contain the oldest references to cannabis as a spiritual psychotropic.  Marijuana use has been documented in almost every form of religion and spirituality throughout history as a divine intoxicant.
    The active psychoactive ingredient in marijuana is THC or tetrahydrocannabinol, however there are also two other active cannabinoids which are CBN or cannabinol and CBD or cannabidiol.  The health applications of marijuana are too lengthy to be discussed in detail here but some of the major therapeutic uses would include: anti-emetic, glaucoma, antiarthritic, anticonvulsant, antidepressant, migraine relief and many, many others.  Some of the biggest controversial issues surrounding hemp and marijuana have to do with its use as a medicinal.  Marijuana has a considerable amount of THC while by industrial standards hemp must have less than 1% THC and the ratio of CBD to THC must be greater than one.  
    It is because of the THC in hemp that the U.S. government will not allow it to be cultivated in this country.  However, there are now varieties being produced that have extremely miniscule amounts of THC, (there are varieties grown in Europe and Canada that have less than 0.3% THC).  No-one can possibly get high from smoking hemp but the U.S. government chooses to ignore this fact even though the industrial uses for hemp are outstanding and possibly redemptive for the country’s environment.
    Hemp’s uses as stated above, are almost endless and its value to both humans and the environment is absolutely amazing.  Not only is hemp intertwined with human history, medicinally, industrially, spiritually it is also tied to the future of human history.  Hemp is a hardy crop that is easily cultivated and grows well in many environments including those with poor soils, short growing seasons and even arid regions such as Saharan Africa can produce a good crop.  
    Hemp is an ideal rotation crop which puts down a 12 inch long taproot in 30 days and therefore quickly prevents soil erosion.  It matures from seed in 120 days and so doesn’t have a long growing season.  It can reach a height of 15-18 feet with a rigid herbaceous stalk.  It is an annual herb that grows each year from the seed.   It is a dioceious plant and is palmately compound with 5-11 leaflets although usually seven.  The soil nutrients concentrate in both the roots and leaves and after it is harvested the roots remain and the leaves can be returned to fields therefore preserving soil nutrients and possibly leaving the soil in better condition than before the hemp crop was planted.  Hemp can actually absorb heavy-metal contaminants in soil and so can gradually purify the earth.  Hemp also does not need much water, (its water need is considered negligible by many), therefore there is not a huge need for elaborate irrigation systems.  It doesn’t need much if any herbicides or pesticides due to the fact that it produces its own natural resin which acts as a pesticide and out-competes and shades out other weeds.  It also requires relatively little fertilizer and does not have many natural predators.  Besides all of the above benefits and ease of cultivation hemp crops can provide healthy nutrition in arid areas where many crops will not grow.  
    We can already see the immense environmental and economic benefits for both the environment and the farmer.  Hemp is a great sustainable alternative to both cotton crops and tree farms.  Hemp yields four times as much fiber per acre than timber and so is a viable replacement for tree paper.  Hemp also does not require the insane amount of pesticides that cotton does and it also requires far fewer environmentally damaging processes to process it into fiber than does cotton.  This is due to the fact that it is low in lignin, (which has to be removed to make paper), and it is naturally creamy white in color and so does not require as much bleaching as timber.
      Hemp is processed by separating the bast fiber from the hurds on the stalk, this is called retting.  The processing of hemp is an area in which many countries are conducting research.   Relatively recently a company called C&S Specialty Builders Supply and Xylem Inc. developed a new way to process hemp using steam explosion to reduce hemp to cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin which eliminates the need for retting and decertification. Hemp fiber is one of the strongest most durable fibers around and so future research into more and easier ways to process it is sure to take place.  There is also research being done to even further lower the THC equivalent in the hemp crop.  
    Besides being a viable and sustainable alternative to cotton and timber hemp has many other uses for industry.  It is also a viable alternative to fossil fuels in its use as a biofuel, both the hemp seed and the stalk can be used to create biofuel.  Hemp’s high cellulose level makes it rather ideal for ethanol production.  This is yet another environmentally beneficial use of hemp.  When using biofuel made of hemp you are releasing the stored energy in the plant and the only byproduct is water vapor and carbon dioxide which are then reused by plants, it is a more sustainable fuel cycle than that of fossil fuels.  Much more research is being done into this use of hemp as well and hopefully the future will reveal potential practical use of hemp as a biofuel replacement for fossil fuels.
    The uses and applications of hemp mentioned above are enormously significant to humans and the environment but there are even more wonderful uses for hemp.  The stalk can produce textiles, cordage, paper, furniture, and viable alternatives for the composites industry, (hemp has amazing tensile strength), there are many other uses for the stalk also.  The hurd, (inside the stalk) can produce paints, sealants, car parts, lubricants, fuel, electricity, green compost and more.  The seed can produce many of the above mentioned products and applications and can also be used for animal feed and for human nutritional purposes.  Hemp has a full complement of EFA’s (essential fatty acids) and of essential amino acids, it is high in protein and has been shown to lower cholesterol and dissolve coronary plaque.
    In conclusion, hemp has more uses and applications than could possibly be mentioned in the length of this paper.  It is a sustainable and viable alternative to many products and processes and a valuable medicinal and spiritually useful plant.  Currently hemp is grown in Canada, England, France, Germany and China.  It is listed as a legitimate commodity in both NAFTA and GATT and so could be utilized by the United States also.  Hopefully the U.S. will soon wake up to the hundreds of potential industrial, medicinal, spiritual, etc. uses that hemp and marijuana can provide.  It is time to look towards the future of the amazing historic hemp plant…










               Bibliography
Levetin, Estelle, and Karen McMahon.  Plants and Society.  New York: McGraw Hill,
    2003.

Robinson, Rowan.  The Great Book of Hemp.  Rochester, Vermont: Park Street Press,
    1996.

Schultes, Richards Evans, Albert Hoffman, Christian Rasch.  Plant of the Gods.
    Rochester, Vermont: Healing Arts Press, 1998.

“The Benefits of Hemp”.  http://www.ecomall.com/greenshopping/Sdethemp7.htm

http://www.kltprc.net/foresight/Chpt-21.htm

http://www.thehia.org/faqs/faq7.htm

http://biotech.lcmb.utexas.edu/botany/hemphist.html