Hemp is A Feminist Issue
by
Diane Rae Schulz
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Canadian
Hempfield, photo by Mari Kane
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Two of the
world's most pressing environmental problems,
deforestation and pollution, can be significantly
mitigated by the widespread cultivation of a sustainable,
natural source of paper, building materials, plastic and
fuel: the humble yet miraculous plant -- Cannabis
Hemp.
Hemp is the most
versatile natural producer that we have. It is a common
plant that grows abundantly in almost any climate and
terrain,and could provide us with clothes, shelter, food
and energy, giving the planet a breathing space in which
to recover from the ravages of modern
industry.
As a mother of
four, a feminist and a spiritual woman in touch with her
Being, I naturally worry about the widespread use of
pesticides in agriculture and the known toll its
intensive use has on our bodies. I also worry about
deforestation and the growing hole in the ozone layer.
Because of our reliance on paper products and building
materials made from trees, we can't "see the forest for
the trees!" Cannabis hemp cultivation requires little or
no pesticides. Sustainable agriculture based on renewable
plant sources such as hemp, flax, and kenaf, to name but
a few, makes ecological sense. Reducing our reliance on
petrochemical products in favor of plastic and fuel from
plant sources also makes sense. If we care for our home,
our Mother Earth, and Her continued ability to nurture
us, it is logical to support the cultivation of a plant
that helps us create a future without deadly chemicals.
We must choose life. We must cultivate and use the dearly
beloved plant world that has always been at our
service.
Hemp has been
used for centuries
Hemp was perhaps
the first plant cultivated for fiber by humans, and has
always played a key role in the world of adventure,
conquest and trade by sea. Until very recently, all sails
and rigging were made of hemp. The plant's very long
fibers are ideal for rope and net making as well as
weaving fabric. The oldest relic of human industry is a
trace of hemp fabric dating from 8,000 BC from Catal
Huyuk, coincidentally an ancient site of goddess worship,
in what is now modern Turkey. Evidence of the use of hemp
cordage, and tools used to separate fiber from stalk,
have also been unearthed in Taiwan, both dating back to
the same early period. It is likely that these early
communities made great use of hemp's strong natural
fiber, as have millions of people over the
centuries.
Hemp traveled to
America with the early colonists. The first crop was
planted in 1611 near Jamestown, Virginia. The climate of
the American colonies was considered ideal for growing
hemp and the Virginia Company made the cultivation of
hemp a part of its contract agreement. During the 1800's,
domestic hemp was gradually replaced by cotton for
clothing and by imported hemp from Russia and the
Philippines for rope and canvas, although hemp was still
a viable crop in America.
The legislation
that ultimately banned virtually all use of the hemp
plant had its origins in the corrupt world of the
post-prohibition federal Treasury Department. It came in
the form of a special interest subsidy, disguised as a
tax law. The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 was actually
designed to give a boost to the logging and synthetic
fibers industries by eliminating industrial hemp from the
market.
During World War
II, the need for domestic hemp production arose because
the Philippines were under control of the Japanese, and
supplies from Russia and Eastern Europe were
unattainable. The government responded by lifting the
prohibition, even producing a movie "Hemp for Victory",
that encouraged farmers to grow hemp for the war
effort.
Immediately after
World War II was over and trade resumed with the
Philippines, the federal government again effectively
banned cultivation of the plant. The FDA is the current
government overseer of hemp importation, recently
stopping shipments of hemp from Canada, where it grows
legally and is one of the fastest growing crops in the
country. The shipments were finally released months after
being impounded because of Canadian government insistence
that the rules of free trade were being violated.
Evidence of the
widespread use of hemp fiber has been well documented.
For a detailed discussion, refer to Hemp: Lifeline
to the Future by Chris Conrad, as well as
Marihuana Reconsidered, by Harvard
professor Lester Grinspoon, M.D., both available online
from http://www.hemppages.com
Hemp
Solutions
Although cannabis
hemp and marijuana are cultivated for entirely different
purposes, they come from the same mother plant,
cannabis sativa. When cultivated for fiber, the
seed is planted very close together, forcing the plants
to stretch to their maximum height, 8-12 feet as they
stretch to reach for sunlight. The seed used for this
purpose is virtually free of THC, the chemical produced
by strains of cannabis sativa cultivated
specifically for medicinal and recreational use. The
resulting crop, known as hemp, yields the longest known
fiber in the plant world, much longer and stronger than
flax or cotton.
After harvesting,
the plants are left to "ret", another word for rot, which
softens the fiber, which allows it to be easily separated
from its inner core, or hurd. The hurd itself, being very
high in cellulose, is another useful substance from which
biodegradable plastic is made. After "retting", the
fibers can then be processed and made into thread, twine,
yarn, and rope. The thread and yarn are subsequently used
to make cloth and knitwear. Both the hurds and fibers can
be used to make paper and building materials, among other
things.
A company in
France, Isochanvre, has found and patented a process to
make lightweight concrete from hemp. Houses are currently
being built with it. Fiberboard made of hemp is extremely
strong as well.
In other
words, any product now made from trees or petrochemicals
can also be made from hemp. All it takes is
imagination!
Hemp for
Health
Another important
use of cannabis hemp is as food. Hemp seed is far more
nutritious than soybean in virtually all respects. Hemp
seed can be used whole, or it can be milled, removing the
outer, rather tough coat. The resulting mass can be made
into any type of food that soybeans are now made
into.
Hemp seed has the
highest known levels of two essential fatty acids which
are not produced by the body from carbohydrate digestion,
linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid. These essential
fatty acids (EFAs) have to obtained from outside, either
in food or special supplements. EFA deficiency may lead
to abnormal eye and neurological function, hypertension,
hormonal imbalance, and can impair healing of wounds and
new cell growth.
Hemp seed oil is
also being used in skin care products. There are many
food and body care products already on the market in the
United States, Canada and Europe. A major concern of
Americans is their health. We have already begun to
change our diets now that we are aware of the benefits of
preventative practices for such serious diseases as
cancer and heart problems. The addition of an important
organic source of food and oil that benefits the overall
health of the human body can not be underestimated.
Mother Earth
provides us with all the plants we need to stay healthy.
Cannabis is one among thousands. It has never seemed real
to me that our government is making War on such a
beneficial plant! They certainly have more important
tasks to perform as the elected "leaders" of the people
than to deny us the use of one of the oldest cultivated
plants of humanity! Personally I prefer to use products
that are reusable, recyclable and non-polluting. My
children deserve a clean, beautiful environment, as do
all the children of the earth. We must take a stand for
Life!
Most countries in
Western Europe and Canada have re-legalized the
cultivation cannabis hemp in recent years. It has proven
to be a successful, profitable crop. In Eastern Europe,
China and other "third world" countries where it was
never banned, it is proving to be a valuable crop because
new products are constantly being created from it. There
is a great demand for it from manufacturers in the United
States.
Because I worked
in the hemp industry for three years, I am familiar with
the hundreds of new and innovative products now being
made from hemp fiber, fabric, seed pulp and oil. I see
hopeful signs of change in this country, too. In the past
three years, many states in the U.S. have passed
legislation calling for experimental hemp production
because farmers have pressured their legislators. To read
more about the worldwide resurgence of cannabis hemp and
the location of hemp businesses, please visit the web
sites of The Hemp Industries Association at:
http://www.thehia.org
and Hemp Pages at http://www.hemppages.com
Those are two
great jumping off places for a tour through the Hemp
World. It's a fascinating journey!
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