Hemp Help Or Hindrance Essay, Research Paper
Hemp : A Help or a Hindrance?Hemp, also known as Cannabis sativa, marijuana, grass, and by many other names, has not been a legal commercial crop in the United States for almost sixty years. As common two centuries ago as cotton is today, hemp is not seen on the market. As many groups urge for hemp to become legalized as a drug, many people are fighting for the plant to become legalized for its medical and industrial uses as well as its economic benefits. From shampoo or fuel for our automobiles, hemp is a hardworking, environmentally sound, and renewable resource.Hemp is an ancient drug whose uses included treating gout, malaria, gas pains, and absent-mindedness. Hemp was an integral part of early Indo-European religious ceremonies for thousands of years and used for making rope and cloth, and for experiencing euphoria. Hempen sails brought the Spanish, Dutch, and British conquerors to the New World. Even in North America, hemp was so much depended on that a law was passed in Massachusetts, in 1639, requiring every household to plant hemp seed. Other early states also found hemp to be important. In Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, hemp was even used as a monetary unit.
Marijuana had its day of glory in the 1960s. Casual use was widespread, mainly among college students, who saw it as a way to protest against the political and social “establishment.” But, unlike times before, there is a new threat that needs to be dealt with. For the past forty decades, the argument has mainly been whether or not to legalize hemp as a drug, but now leaders are beginning to see hemp for its medical uses, its economic benefits and as a strong industrial product.There is no doubt that marijuana can be a harmful substance if misused. It can cause damaging short and long-term problems including effects on the reproductive health of men and women. The use of marijuana declined in the decades following the ’60s, but there is evidence that it is making a huge comeback-and with a dangerous difference. A 1993 survey conducted by the University of California found that more than twelve percent of the eighth graders had tried marijuana at some time in their lives, and nearly five percent had used it in the previous thirty days. Among tenth graders, 24 percent tried it at least once and more than 10 percent in the previous thirty days. Among seniors, more than 35 percent had tried it and nearly sixteen percent had used it in the past thirty days (Ravage 6). A researcher affiliated with the study said,”It seems as though more and more students are trying marijuana and the problem is just getting worse. Due to consistent exposure to the drug, in schools or, in some instances, at home, many students are feeling their first euphoric sensation by the age of thirteen. Knowing this proves to be very frightening to parents who try to keep their child away from harmful substances.” (7)With these numbers increasing, the federal government is trying to stop at nothing to prevent people from having access to marijuana.For thousands of years, hemp fibers have been used to make many different kinds of fabric including clothing and rope. Even big companies like Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, and Disney have been testing the waters and offering some hempen products to the market. Not only can hemp fibers be used to make fabric; a 1938 Popular Mechanics article states that hemp can be used to manufacture over 25,000
products-ranging from cellophane to dynamite; and a 1916 U.S. Department of Agriculture bulletin calculated that over twenty years, one acre of hemp would yield as much pulp for paper as 4.1 acres of trees (Barry 22).Contrary to the belief of many people, the supply of wood for papermaking is not inexhaustible. As early as 1916, the federal government understood that the trees were running out; Bulletin 404 recommended the cultivation of hemp as an alternative source of fiber for papermaking. The USDA figured out that the supply of trees could barely last a century. We can see the logging industry fading away because all the easily-obtained trees have been taken, and there aren’t that many left to harvest (”Tree Free Paper” 15). Even now in the Pacific Northwest, economies are suffering due to the decreasing amount of trees available. Their state governments are asking, “Could common hemp, more famed for its smokability than its fiber in recent decades, help us out of our economic doldrums?” (Wood Technology 8)Similarly, Kentucky Officials are facing another type of economic problem, but with a different substance. Tobacco is the state’s leading cash crop, with yearly revenues in excess of $700 million. In 1994, farmers reaped 14% less tobacco than in 1984. And according to recent investigations, the future for the tobacco market is dim. Higher taxes on cigarettes, declining numbers of smokers, corporate flight, and the possible collapse of special government price protection spell imminent disaster for small tobacco harvesters. One man has staked his political career on the ability of the hemp plan to rejuvenate Kentucky’s tobacco. Gatewood Galbraith has for years been a supporter for the legitimacy of the hemp plant. Campaigning in his Hempmobile, a 1980 Mercedes Benz fueled by hemp seed oil, Galb
“Can hemp help Northwest solve its timber problem?” Wood Technology Magazine, May 1996.”Marijuana use among teens nearly doubles in two years.” USA Today, Nov 10, 1995.”Tree Free Paper.” Whole Earth Review, Hotbot Internet (1993) Dec. 3, 1999.Barry, John Byrne. Is grass really greener? San Fransisco: Sierra Publishing Inc., 1995.Charpentier, Sean. “Kentucky’s Tobacco vs. Hemp.” Dollars and Sense Magazine, June 1991.Compton’s Interactive Encyclopedia. Compton’s New Media, Inc. Copyright 1996.Mason, Alan. “Hemp for Victory.” Whole Earth Review, Hotbot Internet (1994) Dec. 3, 1999.Ravage, Barbara. Hemp or Health? New York: Westview Press Inc., 1994.