hemp history week!
I love using hemp, and have been a fan for years. I have bought hemp clothes, and napkins for the house, and couches made with hemp...and on a regular basis, I buy hemp milk and protein powder for the hubby. At one point, my husband also had a great hemp wallet! I had a hemp backpack that lasted me twelve years and traveled the world with me. I wore that thing everywhere! It still works, but I finally decided to retire the idea of a backpack. Now I carry a purse and bags like a grown up, I suppose. But it was only recently and after much friendly persuasion from friends - all of which I never listened to! But finally, I felt like being more lady-like. And of course, my EcoTools bags are made with hemp!
Anywho, hemp is my friend, and it would be way more eco to be growing it here in the U.S. That's why I'm supporting the second annual Hemp History Week, happening this May 2-8.
All About Hemp History Week!
During Hemp History Week, there will be events happening all over the country, designed to renew support for hemp farming in the U.S. and to educate elected officials about the economic benefits of growing non-drug, industrial hemp on American soil.
Hemp is not just used to make clothes; it's also a great source of complete protein with ten amino acids, omega-3 and -6 essential fatty acids, Vitamin E, and iron. Hemp can also be used to make cosmetics, building materials, and auto parts (for real)! The downside is that right now, it's illegal to grow hemp in the U.S., so hemp product manufacturers have to import their raw materials, and farmers in the U.S. are missing out on an entire industry!
The theme for 2011 Hemp History Week is 'Hemp for Health and Sustainability.' If you'd like to volunteer or organize an event, go to HempHistoryWeek.com for more info. You can also go here to find out if your state is considering legislation that would allow farmers to grow industrial hemp. Then go here to express your support for hemp to your legislators!
A Kinder Choice
You could argue that shipping hemp almost takes the eco out of choosing it, but I still think shipped hemp is better than regular cotton and all its pesticides. As it is now, I support the hemp industry so the powers that be can see how profitable it is.
And for those of you who think hemp is the same thing as marijuana, it's not, so let's clear that up right now! First of all, industrial hemp doesn't come from the same kind of Cannabis plant as marijuana.
According to the North American Industrial Hemp Council, "One type of Cannabis is high in the psychoactive cannabinoid, THC, and low in the antipsychoactive cannabinoid, CBD. This type is popularly known as marijuana. Another type is high in CBD and low in THC. Variants of this type are called industrial hemp."
The Arizona Hemp Council provides these numbers:
"While marijuana has a potency range of 3% to 20% by dry weight of THC, industrial hemp is generally defined as having less than 1.0% THC, and the normal range is under 0.5%."
Dr. Andrew Weil corroborates this, saying, "Even if you ate nothing but foods containing hemp, you wouldn't test positive for drugs. Hemp foods do contain trace amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the substance in marijuana that is responsible for the 'high' you can get by using the drug. But the minuscule amounts of THC in hemp seeds or the bread, cereals, granola bars, beer and other products made from them will not alter drug tests."
So, hemp won't get you high. Sorry, stoners! Just kidding, but really, it's a complete myth. You can smoke as much hemp as you want, but the only thing you'll end up with is a bad cough!
(For more information about this, you can visit the VoteHemp.com FAQ page. )
What do you think? Do you use hemp products? I want to hear how all you Kind Lifers feel about hemp!
30 comments
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We also get hemp seeds and protein powder from Nutiva. We just bought the coconut oil from them as well, way cheaper than our health food store!
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Some of our Cloth diapers are made from hemp and we love them. Not only is hemp a sustainable choice but hemp is super absorbant too :-)
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Hello everyone!! I tried the hemp nuts and just got to tell you, I really like them. Good on yogurt, and in salads etc. with freshly made bean sprouts-Wow nothing better! I have more energy, and no I don't get high off them. lol Love them!
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Inner winds, I'm a fan of Nutiva for hemp seeds/powder and also get my coconut oil from them. They ship on Amazon which makes it really convenient for me to internet order some of my staple foods :)
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This post came at a perfect time. I would like to buy some hemp protein powder. SInce it's a little pricey, I would love to hear from anyone out there what their experience has been. What brand do you like? Thanks for the info and helping me make a good decision!
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I have been eating hemp for years, either the oil or seeds. I love to sprinkle the seeds on my veggies with some flax or put them in a smoothie. FYI medicinal hemp oil cures cancer, among many other things.
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Thanks for being cool and an activist!
I started using hemp about 2 years ago. First just protein powder for smoothies, then started making my own hemp milk with the seeds to add more protein to my smoothies, then I started using hemp seed in just about everything I eat. Added to the toasted outside of a grilled cheese sandwich is awesome! And I recently decided to replace my work, polyester, uniforms with hemp. It feels good not to be wearing oil :) Oh, and I suppose I also eat and add hemp oil to coconut oil to use as a skin/hair moisturizer. I think that is it, for now.
Happy 4/20! Metta.
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I eat hulled hemp seed every day and love it! It is such a huge pain to have to order it all the time though from Canada. Hemp is so versatile and grows so well without the need of fertilizers or pesticides, I wish people would come to their senses and legalize its growth in the US.
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Thank you for speaking out for hemp!
This wonderful material and its incredibly strong fibers are truly amazing... oh, just to think how much pesticides could be saved if we would buy more hemp clothes - and less cotton! (but alas, so far the cotton and pesticide lobbies are doing a fine job preventing that)
And all the building material options - like "hempcrete" - just awesome. My boyfriend and I are planning to build a "hemp house" one day...!
I do love hemp milk the most of all the non-dairy "milk" options - but it is really pricey, more than four dollars for a quart at Whole Foods - gulp! Also, I buy powdered hemp protein to add to smoothies etc. - since hemp is one of the best vegan protein sources.
I like the hemp bags from sativabags.co.uk a lot, and I the beautiful hemp knitting yarns from Lana Knits (lanaknits.com) are worth checking out too (I am affiliated with neither).
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I have a couple of cute shoulder bags from Sativa. A few of their products have leather trim, so read the descriptions carefully and e-mail them if in doubt, but most of their stuff is cool and very well made. They do shoes and some food as well.
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States generally can't constitutionally legalize what is nationally banned, since federal law preempts state law if they conflict. They can try to, and it would then end up in litigation, and the Supreme Court would have to decide whether the state law has been preempted, and then decide where to go from there. That's why there continues to be questions about state legalization of medical marijuana. States can legalize it, but there are issues of its true legality until the question of constitutionality and preemption has been addressed since the laws conflict (though the Attorney General has stated that true medical marijuana users generally won't be prosecuted b/c it's not a priority to use federal funds in that way - but it's still not exactly legal). Of course, who knows how long it would take to have a suit brought (in general if a state passes a law that's questionable), so theoretically, states might be able to get away with it for a while.
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When you said it was illegal to grow hemp in the US, I was *very* confused. When I went to visit relatives in North Dakota, I went to the state fair and bought some things from the hemp stand. They said that North Dakota was the first state to legalize the growing of hemp. I did a quick wikipedia search and the following states - North Dakota, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Montana, West Virginia and Vermont - have legalized growing hemp even though federal law prohibits it. However, nobody has actually started growing it yet because of flak recevied from the DEA. My grandfather was a grain farmer from when he was twelve up until he died when he was 91 (he never owned or farmed animals, don't worry!), and one of my uncles is also a grain farmer. I really think that legalizing the growth of hemp would be a boon to their industry.
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I just started using hemp protein powder and it's great. It doesn't give me stomach issues like other protein powders do.
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I love hemp too! I add hemp seeds to so many things... salads, cereal, smoothies, dips. Good stuff!
Gretchen
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I do my bit for the cause by using help milk (great protein and Omea-3 profile). Dollar's talk and if we buy enough hemp products there will be economic pressure to grow it locally.
Mark Osborne - www.veganhealthandfitness.com
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My favorite vegan ice cream is chocolate Tempt made from hemp milk. It's amazing!!
--Emily Sweet http://www.onesweetvegan.com/
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I have so many things made of hemp! I love it. Of course I've had some judgemental people ask if I'm a "stoner" because of it, and that used to bug me. Now I just shrug it off because I know that hemp is a responsible choice, especially over things like leather.
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Love hemp! I had no idea it wasn't legal to grow it in the US! I drive right past a hemp field all the time(Canada)! Even went to an outdoor festival in a hemp field a few years ago.
And let's not forget how strong hemp is! That's what they used on ships back in the day.
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I love hemp! I put hemp seeds on my salad every day, and I'd like to own more things (clothes, bags, whatever) made with hemp. It's totally ridiculous that it's illegal to grow it in the states! I'm just glad it's not illegal to grow in Canada, so it's still sort of a local food for me.
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That is too bad that it is not legal to grow here. I use hemp protein in my raw cocoa bars, I also use it in shakes. I use hemp shampoo and conditioner too. I have hemp fabrics too.
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The Union: The Business Behind Getting HIgh is another good documentary. Also available on netflix streaming.
I love hemp. Fewer pesticides, lasts forever, can make so many things out of it. Clothing these days is also soft and comfy, used to be it was a little rough. It's a shame that it used to be grown in our country and became illegal for ridiculous reasons.
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