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The impending elections are important for a multitude of reasons. Many folks will be voting on cannabis legislation, here’s a few reasons why you should vote for the miracle weed.
On top of likely being the first plant cultivated for textile fiber, cannabis is an American tradition. The Founding Fathers grew it, and average citizens were legally bound to produce it during the Colonial Era and Early Republic.
The uses of hemp are remarkably diverse and extensive. From clothing to food, skincare to medicine, hemp is economically and environmentally superior. While cotton is currently king, one acre of hemp can produce 2 to 3 times more fiber than one acre of cotton. Hemp fabric is also more absorbent, more durable and better insulating. Additionally, hemp only requires 1/20th the amount of water to grow and process.
Hemp is also easier to break down into paper form and has a higher concentration of cellulose than wood which is the primary ingredient of paper. Hemp plants also grow much more quickly and densely than trees – one acre of hemp can produce the same amount of paper as 4 to 20 acres of trees in a twenty-year period, helping fight deforestation.
In 1937, Congress passed the Marihuana Tax Act. Founding Commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, Harry Anslinger, used political influence and media connections to foment a racist campaign linking weed to crime, loose morals and immigrants.
Despite quality research, much of the original stigma has persisted. THC and CBD are both being used in revolutionary ways to relieve chronic pain, fight cancer, regulate seizures, treat glaucoma and alleviate anxiety and depression.
If we don’t act, there’s a good chance our right to sustainability through hemp could be taken away again. Vote to continue the expansion and legalization of this miracle plant.
