LIVING GREEN

[Guest guest]

 

LIVING

GREEN - Thursday, October 18, 2007

 

 

 

 

 

Does

it make sense to ban a crop in the United States that can have a large,

positive economic and environmental impact

 

 

and

is completely harmless? That is exactly the position of the hemp advocates.

 

 

 

 

 

Because

hemp is a relative of marijuana it is lumped by law into the illegal drug

category. It is against the law to

 

 

grow

it, although some products made from it can be imported from other countries.

 

 

 

 

 

And

most importantly, industrial hemp is not marijuana. It contains just 0.3 to 1.5

percent of THC, the chemical that

 

 

gives

marijuana its drug-like effects. By comparison, marijuana contains 5 percent to

10 percent THC. Smoking hemp is

 

 

not

going to make anyone high.

 

 

 

 

 

But

what are some of the benefits of this harmless crop?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*

The fiber from the hemp plant possesses strength and durability, resists

rotting and is easier to bleach than wood

 

 

pulp,

which means whiter paper at lower cost. That would be a boon to the

book-publishing industry, to cite one example.

 

 

 

 

 

*

Hemp oil was used to lubricate the engines of Navy fighter planes in World War

II, and hemp activist Woody Harelson

 

 

used

it to power a diesel vehicle to demonstrate the benefits of it. It can also be

fermented into an alcohol-based fuel,

 

 

offering

a potent and truly renewable energy source.

 

 

 

 

 

*

Hemp won't put an end to the logging industry, but it would spare some forests

from being cut down for paper products.

 

 

 

 

 

*

Unlike trees, which take years to grow to the point at which they can be

harvested, hemp plants can reach a harvestable state within four months. For

paper manufacturers and

 

 

users

it could provide a cheaper source of pulp than trees, which take too long to

renew.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks

for reading,

 

 

Your

Living Green editor

 

 

Goddess Bless!

 

 

GrannyMoon

 

 

 

 

The GoddessSchool Bookstore

 

http://astore.amazon.com/ancestordetect08/

 

 

" Do not ask Goddess to guide your footsteps if you are not

willing to move your feet! " ~GoddessSchool.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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