Hemp is an ancient historical resource. It’s been used for thousands of years for fabric, building, various therapies, and as a stimulant. It was so much a part of the fittings in history that it didn’t really get much attention.
…Until the 20th century, when so-called moralists decided they didn’t like it. American folklore has it that J. Edgar Hoover didn’t like black people, discovered they used it, and then had it banned. (That is NOT a confirmed story, but who’d be surprised?)
Let’s not labor over the obvious. Three entire generations, maybe four, were introduced to a drug they could barely spell and the prohibition hysteria advertised the drug. Then organized crime, as usual, made a fortune simply because it was illegal. Great move, considering alcohol prohibition achieved exactly the same thing decades earlier. The result, of course, was mass production of hemp and cannabis.
Now it’s legal, and research is showing hemp is a massively valuable, easy to use, asset in so many ways it’s ridiculous. All very nice, you’d think, but the corporates are sniffing around. They seem to think anything that useful could be sold to someone so they can make money and prove they exist. Hemp is therefore getting a lot of attention on an hourly basis for its commercial applications.
Thankfully there is a bit of corporate-proofing built in to hemp. It CAN’T be an “exclusive resource” like oil. Hemp is incredibly easy to grow. Try and stop it. It grows just about anywhere, and in huge volumes. Its commercial applications dwarf most other materials.
We’ve now “discovered” all the old macro scale uses for hemp:
- Hempcrete: A very tough building material, far better than concrete, fireproof, and very durable.
- Hemp fibers: Hemp fibers are truly ancient, and can be used for practically anything.
- Clothing: Hemp is very workable into grades of fiber.
- Insulation: A timely addition in view of the high-maintenance forms of other insulation as the climate changes.
- Biofuel: Another option for replacing fossil fuels and not wasting carbon on them.
- Skin care: An all-purpose skin care option.
- Dietary benefits: Hemp and hemp seeds are full of alpha lipoic acid and other useful ingredients at source.
- Psychotherapy and pain management. Hemp is the new black for these uses.
- A safer recreational drug. Safer than alcohol, definitely, and far less destructive and dangerous than meth. Get the prices right, and it stops being a cash cow for crime.
- Environmental uses: Hemp consumes CO2, and produces more oxygen, making it better than zero carbon in cultivation and uses. Hemp is second only to bamboo for oxygen production.
We could spend all day on just listing its uses. The fact is that hemp is so useful it’s indispensable. It’s also a much better and far cheaper cost option than many other materials.
Probable future uses include:
- Replacing plastics.
- Non-polluting industrial containers.
- Packaging.
- Furniture.
- Interior construction, like kitchens etc,
All of these things can be produced at a fraction of the cost of current materials. Hemp is also quite likely to have a second Renaissance as materials science duplicates its structures for other uses.
The likely outcome of the Hemp Revolution is a massive improvement of quality of life, whether anyone likes it or not. This sort of practical and monetary value can shout down even the most obsessive, prehistoric, morals.
…So there’s not much hype, and plenty of hope. Hemp can be grown in vast quantities. It’s effectively an inexhaustible resource.
Yet again, humanity is catching up with history and getting something right despite itself. Encouraging, isn’t it?
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Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this Op-Ed are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Digital Journal or its members.
