Hemp and the New Green Revolution 

New Green Revolution with Hemp

Hemp is the answer to many of the ecological, economic, and quality of life issues for our people, from healthy housing, healthy lands, clothing and more.

Hemp is a variety of cannabis sativa which contains less than 0.3% THC and is grown for food, medicinal, oil, fiber, paper and building products. Our focus work is on industrial hemp varieties, but we encourage everyone to understand the many different uses and varieties of hemp in the US.

Industrial hemp refers to hemp which is grown for textiles and hurd, (bioplastics etc). Medicinal hemp refers to those products which are high in CBD, CBG, and other molecules and used primarily for human consumption in foods, beverages, topicals, vaporized and smokeable products.

Industrial Hemp is a broad-leaf plant that is capable of having rapid growth under a variety of conditions. Historic cultivation was widespread in both hemispheres and in latitudes ranging from the south of India to Manitoba. Industrial Hemp includes all the byproducts of the hemp plant, including stems ( building materials), fiber ( textiles), leaves (food), seeds ( oils and foods).   

It can be grown for food and non-food products and does not require any use of chemical fertilizer or pesticides. 

Industrial hemp is also used in the production of various products such as hemp oil, paper, textile clothing, biofuel, bio-plastics, and nutraceuticals. The plant has been grown and used commercially for over l0,000 years, and has many uses, but until recently has been illegal to produce. . The USDA accepted level of THC is .3% , below which your hemp crop is legal , above which it is not or “ hot”. 

Why is that important? Because the planet is heating up because of carbon in the atmosphere, and that carbon comes mostly from coal fired power plants, oil and cars.  Reducing carbon outputs is essential for all of us. More than that, the plant can replace carbon intensive manufacturing from plastics to concrete, creating a new carbon friendly economy. That’s what we need to survive the decades ahead, and hemp can be a part of that- the New Green Revolution.

Hemp is a very fast growing crop and could fully replace trees in the production of paper. If more hemp were included in paper production our forests could remain intact. This is very important to protect the natural world, animals and water, and also for jobs. Many Minnesota paper mills are closing down, or have been suffering during the times of the recession, covid and reduced sustainable harvest of wood. Hemp is a premium paper product and can be reused several times more than wood fiber paper.

What you Can Do? In Minnesota, legislation is pending and expected to pass. That’s why we want to make sure there’s equity in the industry House lawmakers begin path to MN marijuana legalization with first committee approval

Tribal Hemp and Cannabis Policies need to be most beneficial to the tribal membership and social equity policies developed by the state and tribes should not exclude tribal members, as has happened to other tribes throughout the US. Tribal Hemp and Cannabis Policies must protect the farmer,  grower, land, and all resources.

Various uses of hemp as building materials include: