15 Hemp FAQ
Hemp FAQ’s
More Hemp FAQ Everything you need to know about Hemp!
1. Can Smoking Hemp Can Get You High?
NO!
THC (the chemical that causes the psychological effects in marijuana) level is so low in hemp that it is impossible for you to get high from smoking it. Actually, hemp contains another chemical called CBD that blocks the effectiveness of the THC chemical.
2. Is Buying and Selling Hemp Is Illegal In The United States?
NO!
Buying hemp products that are in their final form is completely legal. These include products such as hemp protein powder, seeds, oil, soap, apparel or anything else that’s made from hemp.
Only growing hemp is illegal in the US at the federal level. (This is rapidly changing at the state level!)
3. Even If Hemp Is Low THC, You Could Still Extract The THC To Ultimately Create A Drug?
Practically impossible.
Extracting THC while also removing CBD from hemp would be extremely hard and time consuming that it’s very unlikely for anyone to try it. It would be much simpler for the person to try to obtain marijuana some other way.
4. Can You Use Hemp Fields To Hide Marijuana?
NO!
Hemp and marijuana are grown in two extremely different ways. Marijuana has to be grown in a controlled environment, whereas hemp is adaptable to much more adverse climates. Hemp also grows very densely and would make it impossible for marijuana to grow amongst it.
5. Are Hemp Advocates Are Actually Trying To find Backdoors To Sell Marijuana?
NO!
Hemp has been proven to be a successful and profitable industry in several different industrialized countries, where marijuana has not been an issue. It is quite silly to think that we have to oppose growing hemp (and all the economic benefits it’ll bring) simply because some might support the use of marijuana.
6. Would Legalizing Hemp Would Make It Impossible For Law Enforcement To Fight Marijuana?
NO!
If we use other countries as a benchmark, we can prove that this shouldn’t be an issue. Canada legalized hemp back in 1998 and their police officers have experienced no trouble. Actually, legalizing hemp will help regulate the entire industry, as farmers and manufacturers will need to get licensed and registered. The actual hemp seeds will also need to get certified as all seed varieties will be tested to make sure they meet the THC threshold.
7. Are Hemp And Marijuana Are Actually The Same Plant?
Technically true, as they come from the same Cannabis family.
However, hemp is completely different from marijuana in its chemical makeup, cultivation methods, and its applications.
8. Will Eating Or Using Hemp Make Me Fail A Drug Test?
NO!
All industrial hemp products contain no psychoactive properties and THC levels are below detectable amounts in standard employment or athletic screening. That’s why you can find hemp products even at big retailers like Amazon or Wal-Mart
9. Is CBD/Hemp Oil Illegal?
NO!
CBD oil from industrial hemp plants is legal in the US. However, be careful buying CBD products, as the CBD market is still largely unregulated. Read our blog post on what you should look out for when buying CBD oil.
MORE HEMP FAQ
Where in the world is industrial hemp grown?
Hemp is grown in … Australia, Austria, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine.
Is hemp legal to grow in the United States?
YES! Thanks to the 2018 Agricultural Improvement Act (Farm Bill) hemp is non longer a controlled substance. However, hemp will still be regulated and can only be grown with a permit. Each state will have to submit their program to USDA for approval or have passed legislation to remove hemp from the state controlled substances act and allow for application through the USDA’s program,
How can hemp be used as a food?
Hemp seed is a highly nutritious source of protein and essential fatty oils. Many populations have grown hemp for its seed — most of them eat it as `gruel’ which is a lot like oatmeal. The leaves can be used as roughage. Hemp seeds do not contain any THC and they do not get you `high.’
Hemp seed protein closely resembles protein as it is found in the human blood. It is fantastically easy to digest, and many patients who have trouble digesting food are given hemp seed by their doctors. Hemp seed was once called `edestine’ and was used by scientists as the model for vegetable protein.
Hemp seed oil provides the human body with essential fatty acids. Hemp seed is the only seed which contains these oils with almost no saturated fat. As a supplement to the diet, these oils can reduce the risk of heart disease. It is because of these oils that birds will live much longer if they eat hemp seed.
With hemp seed, a vegan or vegetarian can survive and eat virtually no saturated fats. One handful of hemp seed per day will supply adequate protein and essential oils for an adult.
What are the benefits of hemp compared to other food crops?
Hemp requires little fertilizer, and grows well almost everywhere. It also resists pests, so it uses little pesticides. Hemp puts down deep roots, which is good for the soil, and when the leaves drop off the hemp plant, minerals and nitrogen are returned to the soil. Hemp has been grown on the same soil for twenty years in a row without any noticeable depletion of the soil.
Using less fertilizer and agricultural chemicals is good for two reasons. First, it costs less and requires less effort. Second, many agricultural chemicals are dangerous and contaminate the environment — the less we have to use, the better.
Hemp has been used to feed many populations in time of famine. Unfortunately, because of various political factors, starving people in today’s underdeveloped countries are not taking advantage of this crop.
How can hemp be used for cloth?
The stalk of the hemp plant has two parts, called the bast and the hurd. The fiber (bast) of the hemp plant can be woven into almost any kind of cloth. It is very durable. In fact, the first Levi’s blue jeans were made out of hemp for just this reason. Compared to all the other natural fibers available, hemp is more suitable for a large number of applications.
Here is how hemp is harvested for fiber: A field of closely spaced hemp is allowed to grow until the leaves fall off. The hemp is then cut down and it lies in the field for some time washed by the rain. It is turned over once to expose both sides of the stalk evenly. During this time, the hurd softens up and many minerals are returned to the soil. This is called `retting,’ and after this step is complete, the stalks are brought to a machine which separates the bast and the hurd. We are lucky to have machines today — men used to do this last part by hand with hours of back-breaking labor.
Why is it better than cotton?
The cloth that hemp makes may be a little less soft than cotton, (though there are also special kinds of hemp, or ways to grow or treat hemp, that can produce a soft cloth) but it is much stronger and longer lasting. (It does not stretch out.) Environmentally, hemp is a better crop to grow than cotton, especially the way cotton is grown nowadays. In the United States, the cotton crop uses half of the total pesticides. (Yes, you heard right, one half of the pesticides used in the entire U.S. are used on cotton.) Cotton is a soil damaging crop and needs a lot of fertilizer.
How can hemp be used to make paper?
Both the fiber (bast) and pulp (hurd) of the hemp plant can be used to make paper. Fiber paper was the first kind of paper, and the first batch was made out of hemp in ancient China. Fiber paper is thin, tough, brittle, and a bit rough. Pulp paper is not as strong as fiber paper, but it is easier to make, softer, thicker, and preferable for most everyday purposes. The paper we use most today is a `chemical pulp’ paper made from trees. Hemp pulp paper can be made without chemicals from the hemp hurd. Most hemp paper made today uses the entire hemp stalk, bast and hurd. High-strength fiber paper can be made from the hemp baste, also without chemicals.
The problem with today’s paper is that so many chemicals are used to make it. High strength acids are needed to make quality (smooth, strong, and white) paper out of trees. These acids produce chemicals which are very dangerous to the environment. Paper companies do their best to clean these chemicals up (we hope.) Hemp offers us an opportunity to make affordable and environmentally safe paper for all of our needs, since it does not need much chemical treatment. It is up to consumers, though, to make the right choice — these dangerous chemicals can also be used on hemp to make a slightly more attractive product. Instead of buying the whiter, brighter role of toilet paper, we will need to think about what we are doing to the planet.
Because of the chemicals in today’s paper, it will turn yellow and fall apart as acids eat away at the pulp. This takes several decades, but because of this publishers, libraries and archives have to order specially processed acid free paper, which is much more expensive, in order to keep records. Paper made naturally from hemp is acid free and will last for centuries.
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