Hemp & The Economy

HEMP AND  THE ECONOMY   Compiled  by the Business Alliance for
Commerce in  Hemp (BACH)  Provided by Access Unlimited, PO Box
1900, Frazier Park, CA 93225

Hemp's Role in Economic History - Hemp is regarded as probably
being the  first crop  cultivated by humans: as early as 8,000
B.C.  in   the  Middle  East.  Hemp  textile  industries  were
introduced at  about the  same time  in human  development  as
pottery.

     Hemp provided  the  sails  and  rigging  for  ships  that
allowed worldwide  commerce and made Columbus' trip to America
possible (other  fibers would  have decayed  somewhere in mid-
Atlantic).

     Hemp  replaced  papyrus  as  the  source  of  paper  that
eventually fostered  the spread of written knowledge. Hemp was
the largest  cash crop  in  the  world  until  the  late  19th
century, when new technology began to replace it.

     Hemp's Role  Today -  With some  50,000 commercial  uses,
Hemp is  the most  versatile renewable natural resource on the
planet. And it is again the largest cash crop in America; Hemp
generates almost four times as much revenue ($41.6 billion/yr)
as  does   its  closest  competitor,  corn  ($13.37  billion),
according to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.

     But this  is only  a  small  fraction  of  the  potential
revenue that  will be  generated when  Hemp  again  takes  its
rightful place  in  the  agricultural,  textile,  food,  fuel,
cordage,  fabrication,  pharmaceutical  medicines,  paper  and
other affected  businesses in  a decentralized  ecological and
financially stable economy.

     Hemp For  farms -  Hemp was  the major  cash crop  of the
U.S., including  most of  the areas  now suffering from family
farm foreclosures,  until just before the Great Depression. It
is still  a viable  cash crop  and could  be grown on marginal
lands, between  crop seasons  or on  fallow land to enrich the
soil. Hemp is the best energy biomass crop identified to date,
and could  provide the  raw  materials  for  renewed  economic
growth in rural and "rust belt" communities.

     Hemp For  Clothing -  Fabrics made  from  hemp  are  more
insulating, softer,  stronger, more  water absorbent  and last
many times  longer than cotton. This amazing plant fiber holds
its  shape  as  well  as  polyester,  but  "breathes"  and  is
biodegradable because  it is  completely organic.  It has been
valued for  its durability  since before  recorded history. It
can be  woven as coarse as burlap, smooth as silk or intricate
as lace.  The canvass  sails on  generations of  ships and the
original Levi jeans were all made of hemp. The quality of this
natural fiber has yet to be surpassed.

     Hemp For  Paper -  Paper made  from hemp lasts many times
longer  than  that  made  of  wood  pulp,  without  yellowing,
cracking or otherwise deteriorating.

     Hemp pulp does not require as much of the chemical needed
to break down lignin as wood, does not cause dioxin pollution,
and has  been called  the  "archivist's  perfect  paper."  The
Declaration of  Independence and  the U.S.  Constitution  were
both originally  drafted on  Hemp. Restrictions  on Hemp  have
added to  the destruction  of about  70% of  American  forests
since 1937.  Help  restore  Hemp  to  its  rightful  place  in
history.

     Hemp could  Save S&Ls - The Savings & Loan industry could
recoup its  losses by  allowing debtors (i.e., real estate) to
invest in  hemp..For example,  the cost  of  the  federal  S&L
bailout program  submitted by  President Bush  in August, 1989
was  $50  billion.  "Marijuana"  income  for  1988  was  $41.6
billion: the  money generated  by sales  of relaxational  Hemp
alone could  pay off  80% or more of the difference. Estimates
of the  total legitimate  revenues that  would be generated by
legal commerce  in non-smoking Hemp range from 10 to 100 times
that amount.

     Hemp Saves Taxes -  Marijuana prohibition and eradication
programs waste  hundreds of millions of tax dollars, create an
untaxed black  market of  tens  of  billions  of  dollars  and
increased the  domestic marijuana  crop, according to the DEA.
The National  Institute on  Drug Abuse  (NIDA) estimated  that
there were 21 million regular smokers of marijuana and hashish
in 1988.  A lucrative  market in  smoking paraphernalia  worth
billions of dollars is being suppressed.