Industrial Hemp Research Paper

2343 Words10 Pages
Industrial Hemp: Honestly I’m Not Blowing Smoke Industrial hemp what is it and what are its uses, and should it be legal, and how it differs from its cousin marijuana? A few of the questions I hope to answer in this paper. Industrial grade hemp and marijuana are both members of the cannabis sativa family and both contain the drug tetrahydrocannabinol, also referred to as THC. THC is the psychoactive drug that creates the high in recreational marijuana. The main difference between hemp and marijuana is the concentration of THC. The amount of THC in hemp is much lower at approximately 0.3% compared to marijuana which can be anywhere from 5-25%. The fact that hemp contains THC has been a major argument for not legalizing it in the United States. The truth is hemp has such a low concentration of THC a recreational marijuana smoker could smoke an acre of it and get nothing more than a headache for their efforts. (Earlywine) Hemp has been cultivated world wide throughout history with the earliest use dating back more than 8000 years ago in Taiwan. Its use in ancient times was for fibers to make rope or fabric. and eventually paper. Early maritime nations depended on hemp for ropes, and canvas for the sails. King Henry the VIII once…show more content…
Hemp oil is high in unsaturated fatty acids, the same essential fatty acids found in other foods such as fish, making it a great dietary supplement for the health conscious. Hemp oil is also used in cosmetics and personal care products such as soaps and lotions. These products can be found at health food and specialty stores and are available in the United States. While hemp is illegal in the United States, importing products made from hemp or hemp processed to be used for raw materials is completely legal. (Small and

More about Industrial Hemp Research Paper

Open Document