Hemp is not marijuana. The hemp used in these products
refers to industrial hemp made from cannabis sativa L that by definition has less than 1%
THC. THC, delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, is the potentially psychoactive chemical in
marijuana and is not found in significant quantities in the hemp grown for fiber.
Industrial hemp has no illicit use. It is the equivalent of non-alcoholic beer. To
"get a high" from hemp, an individual would have to smoke a joint the size of a
telephone pole in a single sitting, which is humanly impossible.
Hemp
is the solution to many of the problems that we are facing in the modern world,
including deforestation, the green house effect, erosion, starvation, acid rain,
pollutants, limited fossil fuels, and jobs.
Hemp is among one of the oldest industries on the planet, going back more than 10,000
years to the beginnings of pottery. The Columbia History of the World states that the
oldest relic of human industry is a bit of hemp fabric dating back to approximately 8,000
BC.
Hemp is naturally resistant
to UV light, mold and mildew and to salt water. It has been used for
centuries for sails and rope on ocean-going ships.
The bark of the hemp stalk contains bast fibers which are among the Earth's longest
natural soft fibers and are also rich in cellulose; the cellulose and hemicellulose in its
inner woody core are called hurds. Hemp stalk contains no THC. Hemp fiber is
longer, stronger, more absorbent and more insulative than cotton fiber. And hemp
grows well without herbicides, fungicides, or pesticides.
