Origins and History of Hemp
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• Originating from Central Asia, hemp was probably the first plant cultivated for use of its fiber
• The oldest evidence of cultivated hemp fiber dates back to 8000 B.C.
• While first embraced by ancient Chineese cultures, hemp spread west and was used throughout India, Egypt and later Europe
• Animals have also done their part to spread hemp, as birds eat and pass seeds along their global migrations
• United States Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both grew hemp
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3 Parts of Hemp
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• Seed
• Fiber
• Hurd, or woody inner core
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Many uses of Hemp
• Oil
• Textiles
• Food
• Paper & packaging
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• Rope & cordage
• Building fiber
• Fuel & lubricants
• Paints & sealants
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• Plastics and polymers
• Furniture
• Energy & biomass
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Farming
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• Grows well without herbicides, fungicides, or pesticides
• Grows 6 to 11 feet tall in 110 days
• Its deep-root system can prevent erosion
• Grows tall and provides its own natural shade and defense against weeds
• Its usable fiber located in the stalk is cultivated while the energy rich leaves and buds are returned to enrich the soil
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Hemp v. Trees
Hemp grown for paper and construction fiber can help reduce deforestation, and prevent pollution and degradation of our environment from harsh chemicals and erosion
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• Hemp can be recycled 7 times while maintaining a suitable substrate and surface for modern printing purposes, compared with 3 times for tree paper
• Hemp fiberboard was found to be twice as strong as wood-based fiberboard in a Washington State University study
• Hemp produces more pulp per acre than timber, therefore is more sustainable
• Hemp's low lignin content reduces the need for acids used in pulping
• Hemp paper resists decomposition and does not yellow with age when an acid-free process is used
• Because of its natural color, hemp can be bleached in environmentally friendly ways instead of using harsh chlorine compounds
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Hemp v. Cotton
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| Hemp is much more sustainable than cotton, it is stronger, yields more fiber per acre, and can be grown organically. |
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• Hemp has eight times the tensile strength and four times the durability of cotton
• Hemp fiber is longer, stronger, more absorbent and insulates much better than cotton fiber
• While hemp requires little to no chemical pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers, cotton consumes 7% of the world’s fertilizers, and 26% of the world’s chemical pesticides
• In the United States, more than half of the chemical pesticides used in agriculture are used on cotton
• Per acre, hemp can create 2 to 3 times more fiber than cotton
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Hemp as food
Nutritionally rich and high in protein, hemp seed and hemp seed oil has been an ideal food source and consumed worldwide by many cultures in Asia, India, and Africa for thousands of years.
  
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• Hemp seed can be a cheap and sustainable source of protein and is rich in nutritionally important Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids, B-vitamins, contains vitamins A, C, and E, Beta Carotene, and is high in dietary fiber
• Hemp seed is easily grown organically, not requiring any pesticides, fertilizers, or chemicals
• Hemp seed is used in bird seed, and can be a nutritionally valuable in use as feed for chickens and other livestock
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Hemp as fuel
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• Can be turned into methane, methanol, and gasoline much cheaper than fossil fuels
• Reduce the environmental costs of fossil fuels and nuclear energy, such as hazardous wastes, acid rain, and smog
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Other Hemp uses
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• Oil can be used to make paints, varnishes, soaps, cosmetics, ointments, lotions, heating oil, engine lubricants, lacquer, sealants, plastic resins, etc
• Can be blended with recycled plastics to make injection-molded products
• Can be used to make cellophane packaging
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