Essay About Hemp

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Hemp, as defined by Dr. Tom Murphy, is a variety of the Cannabis sativa L. plant whose growth is strictly intended for agricultural and industrial purposes. Many years ago, the production and sale of industrial hemp in the United States was declared unlawful without obtaining a government permit. Hemp has dealt with a bad rap for hundreds of years, and has remained unlawful in this country due to misconceptions of its uses. If made legal in America once again, hemp holds the potential to change the world by opening the doors of thousands of different industries and providing opportunities for the production of various goods. Industrial hemp has been in use around the world since the Stone Age. China and Taiwan have both been recorded to have used hemp to make clothes, shoes, rope, and paper as long as ten thousand years ago (Wikipedia). Germany and Italy were then introduced to hemp during the medieval period and first started using it for cooking (Wikipedia). Hemp eventually made its way to the United States during the Napoleonic Era where Thomas Jefferson later drafted the Declaration of Independence on hemp paper. As hemp started becoming more and more popular, big industries started fearing the possibility of hemp cornering their markets. In the late thirties, lobbyists from the automobile industry…show more content…
Literally, thousands of products can be created by using hemp. The North American Hemp Council lists the many uses of hemp including clothing, food, oil, paint, fuel, diesel, plaster, cement, and so much more; the list really goes on. It is clear that hemp is a valuable resource being neglected by the United States. It can bring great profit to nearly every market being traded today and can basically save the

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