Industrial Hemp: A Win-Win For The Economy And The Environment

Industrial hemp once dominated the land and was one of the main building blocks of our society. Today, we’re back on track on bringing back this plant to industrial purposes. 

The decriminalization of hemp in some countries opened up an entirely new world of possibilities in which we could use this plant. Countries that never gave up on hemp as an all-purpose material found a way to make this material even better as the technology evolved. 

Today, we can use hemp in many different industry branches and create new materials that won’t pollute the environment as they did in the past. 

While the environment will finally get the relief it deserves, the economy of the countries might get a resurrection of their own by implementing these materials in their favor. 

This article will discuss how using materials made from hemp will dictate how we cope with a polluted environment and economies in decline.

Why Was Hemp Criminalized?

Back in 1937, we criminalized the production of hemp only because it was similar to marijuana in some way. The War on Drugs is the main reason why the lawmakers made this plant illegal. 

With the knowledge we have today, we know that hemp might be similar to marijuana, but it’s far from that. Marijuana plants have THC levels starting at 3% and above, far more than the THC level in hemp that is around 0.3%. 

In the past, when we still didn’t understand anything about marijuana, hemp got labeled as something that should be banned immediately. Hemp could not make you high even when consumed in bigger doses, and the damage done by thinking that way was enormous. 

Time we lost by criminalizing this plant could’ve led us to discoveries that could change the world from its foundations. 

It’s a shame that we wasted our time presuming bad things about hemp instead of praising it as a lifesaver. 

The Use of Hemp in the Modern Era

As mentioned above, we can use hemp in many different industries. 

Human ingenuity has no limits, and we can produce many great things that can shape our lives by using materials made by Mother Nature. 

In this part of the article, we’ll talk about the primary industries where hemp was a game-changer. From all the possible choices, these ones made the biggest impact so far. 

CBD oils

CBD oils sparked a craze around the world in just a few years of them stepping on the medicinal market. 

Many studies proved that using these oils extracted from hemp could have a significant impact on our health. They show that people struggling with insomnia, pain, lack of appetite, nausea, and anxiety can use CBD oils as their remedy. 

The studies are still a work in progress, and we can’t wait to see what else researchers can think of when it comes to the medicinal use of hemp.

Agricultural purpose

By using pesticides on our soil when doing crops, we poisoned the lands and jeopardized our future. 

Hemp is a perfect natural sponge that soaks up toxic poisons and feeds the soil making it safe to use once again. 

We came a long way in understanding how we can use hemp on our crops, and we can be optimistic that one day we can restore our healthy soil.

Biofuel

A recent breakthrough in discoveries allowed us to use seeds from the industrial version of hemp for making Biodiesel fuels- making it a much cleaner option for the environment.

In the future, we might see transport trucks and tractors use this type of fuel to help the environment with global warming.

Impact on Economy

If any country decides on transitioning to the production of hemp as its main building block, its economy will have a significant boost.

Hemp production is much cheaper than the exploitation of the raw materials that we use nowadays for running our societies. 

Being cheap is not the only thing making it affordable; hemp also grows much faster than any other material because it can grow a couple of times during the season. 

If the country turns all of its resources into the production of hemp for Biofuels, there will be no need to exploit crude oil ever again. The exploitation of crude oils is an expensive project, and it takes a heavy toll on the environment.

Turning to such renewable material will help any struggling economy to go back on track and provide a better quality of life for its residents. 

Conclusion

The industrial version of hemp might be our biggest ally for creating a better future for our descendants.

That better future should come much easier if we switch our focus on using renewable resources that can guarantee a sustainable environment. 

We hope that more countries will finally decriminalize hemp for helping to build a better and cleaner future for all that will come after us.

Alex
 

Alex is a small business blogger with a focus on entrepreneurship and growth. With over 5 years of experience covering the startup and small business landscape, Alex has a reputation for being a knowledgeable, approachable and entrepreneurial-minded blogger. He has a keen understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing small business owners, and is able to provide actionable advice and strategies for success. Alex has interviewed successful entrepreneurs, and covered major small business events such as the Small Business Expo and the Inc. 500|5000 conference. He is also a successful entrepreneur himself, having started and grown several small businesses in different industries.