Should Hemp be Legalized for the Purpose of Paper Manufacturing?

Ever since the US government passed the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, US production of hemp has essentially been made illegalized. Prior to this event, hemp had been grown for the past 12,000 years for food. Also, when the Japanese blocked US sources of “Manila hemp” during WWII, the US Army and the Department of Agriculture promoted the “Hemp for Victory” campaign to grow hemp in the US. The United States is the only developed nation in which industrial hemp is not an established crop. In fact, not only is it an established crop in the European Union, but the government also subsidizes it! Many people oppose the ability to grow hemp due to the fact that fields that grow it could supposedly be used to cover production of marijuana. Unfortunately, this blocks the US from reaping the substantial benefits that occur from using hemp paper rather than paper produced from wood pulp.

            Hemp paper is a much higher quality, less environmentally degrading product than paper made from trees. First off, hemp is a quick growing weed that actually improves soil structure and clean toxins in the ground (phytoremediation). Also, it does not require the use of herbicides and pesticides. A large advantage of hemp is that it could reduce the devastation of deforestation immensely. For every four acres of trees required annually to make paper, only an acre of hemp is required. The ability to stop deforestation for the purpose of paper manufacturing could actually reduce the affects of global warming. In addition, due to the higher quality of fibers in hemp paper as compared with paper made from trees, hemp paper can be recycled up to seven times while paper made from wood pulp can only be recycled approximately three times. Also, due to the low lignin content of hemp, hemp can be pulped using less chemicals than wood. Lastly, its natural coloring cancels out the need for chlorine bleach, which means less pollution in lakes and streams coming from centers of production.

             Finally, in February 2004, the 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Drug Enforcement Administration “cannot regulate naturally-occurring THC not contained within or derived from marijuana,” in the case Hemp Industries Association v Drug Enforcement Administration. They noted that due to the trace amounts of THC in hemp paper it is impossible to get high from it. David West, PhD, also supports this point of view. In fact, he states that the high percentage of CBD in industrial hemp actually blocks the marijuana high. Therefore, the United States should legalize the use and production of hemp for paper manufacturing within US borders.