Agricultural hemp: cultivation, uses, and production

¶ … represents my documented findings as per the request of Montana Congresswoman Johnson to investigate the pros and cons of a recent request by local farmers. The request was to have the congresswoman institute new legislation concerning a new three-year agricultural experiment by which the farmers would be permitted under Montana law to legally grow and cultivate hemp. After having completed my research, I am strongly in favor of the local agricultural community being given the opportunity to grow hemp for a period of three years and I will therefore make the proposal through this essay that the Congresswoman write the appropriate legislation so she can present it to her peers.

My name is John Doe and I am the legislative assistant for Congresswoman Mary Johnson of Montana's fifth district. I will do all in my power to have the local farmers' request filled. My decision to support the appeal comes from research of two unique situations: other communities already invested in the agricultural production of hemp and the current legal system's concern in regard to the product.

Currently it is illegal for any farmer or citizen in Montana's to cultivate or grow agricultural hemp. The illegal status is based on Federal law because there has been no local legislation about hemp cultivation. "In 1937 Congress passed the Marihuana Tax Act which effectively began the era of hemp prohibition. The tax and licensing regulations of the act made hemp cultivation unfeasible for American farmers." (Federal Court Rejects DEA Ban on Hemp Foods) suppose that this proposal will be used as the ground work for any future hemp cultivation legislation. None of the individuals who have made this request are in any way; shape or form associated with illegal organizations or has anyone of the party been convicted of a felony. As a matter of fact, each of the local farmers has a long positive history in this community with some of them having farmed these lands for well over thirty years. One suggestion I will strongly make to the congresswoman will be to institute the assistance of the Hemp Industries Association. "The Hemp Industries Association (HIA) is at the forefront of the drive for fair and equal treatment of Industrial Hemp and the instigation of a level playing field on which to compete with other natural resources and synthetics. The HIA seeks changes in government policies to encourage global production of Hemp as a raw material for industry." (Federal Court Rejects DEA Ban on Hemp Foods)

The Congresswoman, in response to the farmers request, has assigned me the task of discovering all of the pro's and con's related to this product and then informing her of my findings so that she could make an informed decision about whether or not to concur with the request. The results of these findings will be used to craft a bill that will be used to present a case before her fellow legislators but these findings in no way guarantee that she will follow my recommendations or that her peers will concur with these findings. The Congresswoman had obvious concerns regarding this hemp issue and has publicly expressed views that to her, hemp simply meant marijuana or pot. That is the reason she had me research this subject further. She felt that her constituents may or may not approve of any proposed legislation because of the idea that hemp may conjure up memories of hippies and free love. However, hemp is steadily reemerging in the United States and its similar leaf shape is the real reason for it constantly being confused with marijuana. "Although both plants are from the species cannabis sativa, hemp contains virtually no THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) (less than.3%), the active ingredient in marijuana. Industrial hemp has no illicit uses; it is the equivalent of non-alcoholic beer." (Industrial Hemp Enterprise: Industry Highlights)

What exactly is hemp? Hemp production has been cited as one of the world's oldest industries with a history going back nearly 10,000 years. The Columbia Encyclopedia stated that one of the world's oldest relics signifying human industry is none other than a bit of hemp fabric that dates back to around 8,000 BC. The Columbia Encyclopedia defines hemp as "a common name for a tall annual herb (Cannabis sativa) of the family Cannabinaceae, native to Asia but now widespread because of its formerly large-scale cultivation for the bast fiber (also called hemp) and for the drugs it yields." (Columbia Encyclopedia)

This product has been known to be cultivated all throughout ancient China and formerly introduced in Europe well before Christianity. Here in America the plant is cultivated mainly throughout the Midwest region. The chief advantage of our local farmers growing hemp would be because the plant has many uses that are economically sound. The useful fiber is derived from the stem of the plant through a process called retting. Once retted, the fiber can be used in a great many products such as paper, biodegradable plastics, cloths such as canvas and an extremely profitable product called oakum which is used to calk ships and boats.

As stated, I intend to support the request to grow hemp because if we here in the United States were to plant just 6% of the continental U.S. with hemp, we as a nation could literally provide for all of America's oil and gas energy needs due to the fact that Hemp has been found to be a viable environmentally sound energy source. The seeds have also been found to be an excellent nutritional source that can help provide for a better quality fat and protein in our food manufacturing processes. Other positive derivatives of Hemp can be used as bird food or even converted into oils used to create paints, varnishes and soaps. There have even been a number of medicinal uses that come out of China that use hemp seed oil for salves and cosmetics.