Hemp
Hemp (also known as industrial hemp) is of the same species as marijuana, yet is not psychoactive- attempting to smoke it will only produce a headache and lung problems. Before the Industrial Revolution, hemp was heavily relied on to provide all manner of textiles. Since then, despite its wide versatility, it is usually only the second or third-best useful resource for all of such.
| Hemp | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom Information | |
| Domain | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom | Plantae |
| Subkingdom | Viridaeplantae |
| Phylum Information | |
| Phylum | Tracheophyta |
| Sub-phylum | Euphyllophytina |
| Infraphylum | Radiatopses |
| Class Information | |
| Class | Magnoliopsida |
| Sub-class | Dilleniidae |
| Order Information | |
| Superorder | Urticanae |
| Order | Urticales |
| Family Information | |
| Family | Cannabaceae |
| Sub-family | Cichorioideae |
| Tribe Information | |
| Tribe | Cichorieae |
| Genus Information | |
| Genus | Cannabis |
| Species Information | |
| Species | C. sativa |
| Population statistics | |
| â | While marijuana plants contain from 5% to 20% THC, hemp may contain a maximum of 0.30%.[1] | â |
Amish farmers who used to grow tobacco have shifted to growing hemp, such as in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.[1] But theft of hemp crops is widespread, despite building fences and posting signs to combat it.
Due at least in part to the Environmentalist movement, hemp has regained attention in recent years as a possible substitute for petroleum-based plastics. The goal is "composite bioplastics" which are made from cellulose, and expected to decompose relatively quickly. Hemp is often considered a good source for this material, because it is composed of 65-70% cellulose. Flax contains about the same percentage of 65-70%, while wood only consists of about 40%, and cotton contains up to 90%. However, although cotton is a better source, Hemp is favored because it is seen as a more environmentally-friendly crop. At present, pure bioplasics are rare, but some industrial plastics do contain a small amounts of this material.[2]