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The
Official Kentucky Hemp Outfitters
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| Why should
I care about hemp? Have you ever mentioned hemp to someone and heard something similar to this..."We've gone sixty years without it, so what's all the fuss about?", "Who needs hemp when we've got petroleum, cotton, and trees? And besides, isn't hemp just an alias for marijuana? That's what I've always heard! Forget it!".  "Law
enforcement and the D.E.A.
are against even researching the stuff. That's good enough for me."
Alright, so you probably wouldn't hang out with such a close-minded
person, but they are out there! Also, they just happen to be the very
people who are keeping the hemp movement down. There are three important
keys to opening the minds of the ill informed and they are: education,
education, and education! If you educate them they will care.What's all the fuss about? Okay, we have gone sixty years without hemp. To many people the last sixty years have been an industrial heyday and everything's great. However, when you dig deep enough it's easy to see that the industrial heyday will someday become an environmental mayday. Have you ever seen a landfill or an oil slick? It doesn't have to be that way! Anything made from a hydrocarbon can be made from a carbohydrate. Carbohydrates grow from the earth; they aren't drilled out of it. That is where hemp comes in. Industrial hemp, more than any other crop on Earth, can help lead the way to a carbohydrate-based economy. Paper, fuel, even plastics can be made from hemp. It's a fact! Hemp creates rural economic development by helping our farmers become the lifeblood of an environmentally friendly economy. Here in Kentucky, our farmers have a golden opportunity to lead the way. But, I like my cotton shirt...
 ...and
you didn't hear "timber!" when you bought that pad of paper, and your
exhaust only bothers the people in the convertible behind you! Not
so fast! When dealing with the ill informed throw a few of these facts
at 'em:Cotton uses half of all the chemicals that are used in American agriculture every year! That's around 30 million pounds annually. That's not good for the soil, air, water, or you. Hemp, on the other hand, is largely critter resistant, chokes out weeds effectively, and can grow in conditions that would make a cotton seed yell "uncle!" Hemp fiber is at least three times as strong and it's nice and soft when spun into fabric. Here in Kentucky...
...certain areas of the Red
River Gorge (I love The Gorge!) are earmarked for clear
cutting. And for what? You guessed it....paper. Whoa! Hemp makes
terrific paper and cutting it down is what it's planted for in the
first place! Hemp paper is stronger and more recyclable than tree-based
paper. Wood pulp has a high concentration of lignin, a bonding agent
that make wood pulp hard to work with when making paper. Never fear!
Dioxin is here!
It's one of the most toxic substances known to man but it sure does
break down lignin and, unfortunately, everything else. Hemp doesn't
need dioxin because it doesn't have much lignin in its hurd (i.e.
its woody core). I've never heard anyone say "whatever" when they've
heard that! What
if the Exxon Valdez was full of hemp seed oil? The reaction from most..."well,
at least it's the Prince
William Sound and not my carpet!" Seriously, we have a major addiction
to petroleum and it's caused many an environmental catastrophe. The
oil from hemp seed can fuel your car. It burns much cleaner than the
gas you get at the filling station and you don't have to go to the
Middle East to get it. Presently
you might have to go to Canada
to get it but that's beside the point. Just think about it...the gas
you buy could be grown and processed in your own county! Nowadays,
however, the grower would be wearing an orange jump suit instead of
hemp overalls. Isn't progress great?
Rob Moseley
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