We are all very well familiar with the "savage" Marijuana . We associate it with violence and criminals. It has been classified as a schedule I drug -the highest classification in federal law. But did you know that Marijuana has a cousin that is also regarded as a "troublemaker"? I should mention that you can't even get high from it. But because it belongs in the Cannabis family, the Government classified it "illegal". I am talking about HEMP.
Image Source: Google Image labeled for reuse with modification. Edited by me.
So what the hell is Hemp?!
I consider hemp to be a true earth-lover, the most eco-friendly plant ever to grace our soils. It is a multi-dimensional crop and there is no plant I know of that has so many uses and benefits like it.
How It Benefits the Soil:
The long term use of herbicides and pesticides in farming has depleted our soils of many minerals and left it toxic too. Hemp helps detoxify and regenerate the soil when its leaves and shrubs fall to the ground. Its rich organic mulch replenishes the soil with nutrients, nitrogen and oxygen. It also loosens the earth for subsequent crops.
By the process called “phytoremediation”, Hemp plant can pull nuclear waste from the soil. It can detoxify it from metals, solvents, crude oil, toxins leaching from landfills, hydrocarbons and so many other pollutants. It breaks down these pollutants and stabilizes the metal contaminants by acting as a filter. There are some other plants that could be utilized for phytoremediation but Hemp has been proven to be the best one.
Its Significance In Waste and Pollution:
It’s mind-blowing to know that one plant can be made into 50,000 different products and virtually all those products are biodegradable, thus not having to add waste in the environment. The majority of the products that are being made for consumers are petroleum-based, non-biodegradable and non-renewable; not to mention very toxic. Imagine if we can make more biodegradable products.. there will be lesser garbage, our soils will be healthier, we will have cleaner air to breathe since there will be lesser petrochemical industries that astronomically emit CO2 in the atmosphere, and of course because Hemp plant traps CO2 , cleaning the air in the process. Imagine if we become less and less dependent on petro-based products. That’s very liberating both for humans and our home planet.
How It Can Save Trees:
Because hemp can be an alternative source for making different products including paper and building materials, it can spare many trees from notorious loggers. Consider this: Trees take 20 years to mature while Hemp takes only 4 months. In paper-making, 1 acre of Hemp equals 4.1 acres of trees annually. Our forests are being cut down 3X faster than they can grow! That’s a tremendous impact on the environment. No wonder we have more incidence of floods, landslides and a seemingly bipolar climate situation all across the globe. Deforestation can be a thing of the past if we begin to use hemp over wood.
"Why use the forests which were centuries in the making and the mines which required ages to lay down, if we can get the equivalent of forest and mineral products in the annual growth of the fields?" -Henry Ford
Its Impact On Our Health:
If hemp can clean our soils, nourish the earth and filter the air, we will have lesser diseases. Our immune system will not have to be taxed heavily by pollutants. And remember that Cannabis has potent medicinal properties as well. All the many benefits of hemp in our environment translate into our own health as human beings.
What We Can Do:
So if you think you want to live "green", do something to promote the most eco-loving plant! Right now, we are at the mercy of power-hungry authorities, but we can make this hemp revolution come through by buying more products made of hemp, by talking about it through the social media, by spreading awareness, by supporting crowdfunding for a hemp product startup, by signing petitions for its legalization and by participating in gatherings for the hemp cause. We are at a point of breaking through and we need more voices to make a stronger roar.
The good news:
We have come a long way in terms of Cannabis regulations. Last year alone, many states in the US legalized Hemp and Marijuana because there is so much research behind Cannabis and people are waking up to the truth. Hemp Hemp, Hurray!!!!
I have included some helpful videos about Cannabis (sources listed below the video)
video source: YouTube.com, Masaru Emoto, Posted by Alvin Rivera on Youtube
video source: YouTube.com, RT News, posted by Breakingtheset on YouTube
I hope this article has inspired you in some way. Thank you for reading. An upvote is always appreciated! -MaryJanePower