HEMP. Does so much more than oil ever could! Renewable and HEALTHY. Reasons………… the United States should re-legalize hemp farming. These facts come in handy when trying to give someone a quick introduction to the hemp topic during a casual conversation.
1) “Make the most you can of the Indian Hemp seed and sow it everywhere” ~ George Washington
2) “We shall, by and by, want a world of hemp more for our own consumption” ~ John Adams
3) “Hemp is of first necessity to the wealth and protection of the country” ~Thomas Jefferson
4) One acre of farmed hemp produces more paper-making material than four acres of mature trees
5) Henry Ford manufactured a car out of hemp that was ten times more durable than a steel counterpart
6) Hemp can be manufactured into more than 25,000 products in the current marketplace
7) Hemp can be manufactured into a bio-degradable plastic
8) The USS Constitution had more than 60 tons of hemp materials needed to operate and navigate
9) The first flag of the United States sewn by Betsy Ross was made of hemp fabric
10) Hemp is the longest, strongest plant fiber on the planet
11) Hemp is naturally mold and mildew resistant
12) Hemp is naturally pest resistant and can be manufactured into non-toxic pesticides
13) Hemp paper is more durable than tree paper and doesn’t require bleach or chlorine to process
14) George H.W. Bush’s parachute that saved his life during WWII was made of hemp fabric
15) Hemp can be processed into fuel and run diesel engines with cleaner emissions than oil-based fuels
16) From 1000 BC to the late 1800s, hemp was one of the top agricultural crops in the world economy
17) Hemp pellets burn at between 5,000 and 8,000 BTUs per pound, similar to wood pellets
18) Hemp fabric is more absorbent than cotton fabric
19) One acre of hemp can be processed into 1,000 gallons of alcohol fuel
20) Hemp grows from seed to harvest in 60-120 days and can often produce two crops per grow season
21) Hemp is a great phytoremediator and has been used to clean up toxic grounds such as in Chernobyl
22) Hemp fiber is three times stronger than cotton fiber
23) In 1850 America, more than 8,000 plantations (minimum 2,000 acres) were farming hemp
24) Mankind farmed hemp for fiber as far back as 8000 BC in the Cradle of Civilization
25) Benjamin Franklin started one of America’s first paper mills using hemp fiber
26) The US Constitution was drafted on hemp paper
27) The majority of ship sails from 500 BC to the mid-1800s were made of hemp fabric
28) Up through the 1880s, 75% – 90% of the world’s paper was made from hemp
29) Russia supplied 80% of the western world’s hemp from 1740-1940
30) Up until the 1930s, 70% – 90% of the world’s cordage (ropes, twine, string) were made from hemp
31) In Colonial days, hemp could be used to pay taxes in America
32) The majority of paintings up into the 20th century were painted on hemp canvas
33) Rag paper, which can be made from recycled hemp fibers, is the longest lasting paper ever made
34) More than 50% of all textiles and fabrics consumed into the 19th century were made from hemp
35) Hemp seed contains easily digestible protein similar to that found in blood plasma
36) From 1942 – 1946 American farmers produced over 200,000 tons of hemp fiber for the war effort
37) Hemp seed oil boosts the immune system
38) Hemp seed oil is similar to linseed (flax seed) oil, which is used globally for numerous applications
39) Hemp seed oil is low in saturated fats and high in total essential fatty acids (that is a great thing)
40) Hemp plants grown densely will have a solid root base up to 30 inches deep
41) Farming hemp on 6% of the contiguous US land could supply fuel for all our annual energy needs
42) Hemp yields about 10 tons of biomass per acre per harvest
43) American farmers who grew hemp during WWII were exempt from military service, as were their sons
44) The Kentucky 4-H clubs (students) were asked to help grow America’s hemp seed crop in 1943
45) American farmers are subsidized NOT to farm on more than 90 million acres of viable land
46) 100 BC, China makes paper out of hemp and mulberry, two plants in the same family
47) 770 AD, China develops the first printed book “Dharna” on 100% hemp paper
48) In 1500 BC, Scythians farm hemp and develop a harvesting tool known as the scythe
49) Egyptians began to spin hemp in 4000 BC
50) Viking graves reveal hemp cloth and fishing line circa 850 AD
51) Spaniards in 1500 AD established the first western paper mill using hemp in the region known as Xativa
52) Hemp was carried by Jamestown settlers and cultivated in the Virginia colony in 1611 AD
53) Hemp pulp, known as hurd, is more than 77% cellulose, the highest percentage of any plant on earth
54) Hemp fiberboard is wind-rated over 130 mph and is superior to conventional plywood
55) Hemp concrete is lighter yet stronger than conventional concrete
56) Hemp plants are drought-resistant and can survive variable climate conditions
57) Hemp seed meal has been used as a high-protein feed for livestock
58) Hemp seed protein contains 65% globulin edestin. A very positive health benefit
59) Growing cotton in America requires more than 300 million tons of pesticides each and every year
60) The majority of religious texts are written or printed on hemp paper
61) Kimberly-Clarke, an American paper manufacturer, cultivates hemp in Europe
62) In Colonial America, you could be jailed for refusing to farm hemp
63) Houses and buildings can be completely constructed using hemp lumber, concrete and insulation
64) Hemp seed was once the leading bird seed in the United States
65) Hemp seed oil was once a primary source of lighting oil in the world.
Source: biblemoneymatters.com