Hemp has over 25,000 known uses and our ancestors relied on it for food, shelter, and clothing—it’s truly a miracle plant! At one point, all farmers in the United States were encouraged to grow it, but today it’s often demonized because of the association with marijuana and psychoactive drugs.
That’s why we want to make you more hemp aware!
The goal of HempAware Radio is to bring hemp education to hemp entrepreneurs and anyone interested in hemp, and help you incorporate it into your daily life. And if you have hemp products, HempAware Marketing, Branding & Design Services are here to help you get more leads sales and happy customers!
The Many Uses of Hemp
Being “hemp aware” is understanding the many uses of hemp and incorporating it into your daily lifestyle. There are so many benefits of hemp! Everyone should be eating it, wearing it, and using it daily.
We believe that the more people using hemp in their daily life, the quicker we can experience a paradigm shift on the planet for the better. We all deserver to live healthier happier lives, and hemp is our vehicle to make that happen.
Here are some of the most common uses for hemp:
- Hemp materials, like twine and fiber, used to construct and build things.
- Hemp food sources: oil, seeds, and protein.
- Hemp medicine and therapeutic solutions.
These are just a few of the many uses for this miraculous plant. A Popular Mechanics Magazine article from 1938 stated there were 25,000 known uses for the hemp plant, dubbing it the “billion-dollar crop.”
What is the History of Hemp?
Hemp was once regarded as a highly valuable crop, and it was mandatory at one time for farmers to cultivate it. Today, it’s often demonized and misunderstood—why is that?
Hemp has been around for thousands of years; the earliest known fabric was woven out of hemp and is believed to be made 10,000 years ago. It also plays an important role in the creation of the United States—George Washington himself was quoted for saying, “Make the most of the hemp seed and sow it everywhere.”
Hemp has been humankind’s most useful plant. Our ancestors depended upon hemp’s exceptionally strong fiber and highly nutritious seeds. It’s been used throughout history for food, clothing, food, fuel, and medicine.
Hemp’s value started to be questioned and pushed under the rug in the 1930s. Propaganda against hemp surfaced, demonizing the plant. Some people even pushed for users to go to institutions for the criminally insane, just for being part of the hemp movement.
A coalition of petrochemical companies, lumber companies, and other interest groups worked to push hemp under the rug and demonize it to the public. The competition was too great for the hemp industry, so it couldn’t succeed against the more powerful industry lobbies.
Hemp Vs. Marijuana
Today, there is a lot of confusion around hemp. In California, for example, it’s still not legal to grow industrial hemp. (Keep in mind when this show was broadcast this was the case).
Medical marijuana has been legalized, but hemp cultivation is not. This is partly because there is still confusion about the differences between hemp and marijuana.
Back in the 1930s, everyone knew about hemp—they wore it and used it as fuel. The term “marijuana” was coined by William Randolph Hurst. It was a new term and concept for the public, and it taught people to fear the plant. A law was passed in the 1930s to ban growing cannabis hemp.
So, what’s the difference between marijuana and hemp? Both are part of the cannabis (or “ganja”) plant, but there are significant differences:
- Hemp is the non-psychoactive variety of the plant, with only about 0.3% THC in it. You cannot experience psychoactive effect with hemp.
- Marijuana is the plant with higher concentrations of THC (15-20%), which is the psychoactive property of the cannabis plant.
Right now, hemp is not legal on a federal level. And because of the demonization of the hemp plant because of the confusion between hemp and marijuana, people are not able to realize all the benefits of hemp.
We want to keep working towards changing this so that everyone can use hemp and benefit from the daily use of hemp in their lives.
Together, we can become more hemp aware!
Feel free to connect with us to learn more or send us your suggestions for the show!
