Use of hemp products on the rise

In an effort to keep people from "getting high" from marijuana, the U.S. government may be overlooking one of its most valuable natural resources -- hemp.

Most commonly known as the plant that produces marijuana, hemp is a stalky, green weed with large leaves and buds that can grow more than 10 feet tall. This plant was used heavily during Colonial times for paper, oil, rope, cloth and food.

The government outlawed hemp in 1937 because of its narcotic properties. Hemp products were reintroduced briefly during the war period in the 1950s because of limited natural resources.

At that time, more than 25,000 products could be made from hemp. Today, with the help of technology, more than 50,000 products can be made, said Etienne Fontan, a sales manager and researcher for Ecolution, a wholesaler of hemp products based in Fairfax, Va.

"Ecolution only carries 60 of these products. There are 49,940 products still available," he said.

Most of these hemp products are not available in the United States because it is illegal to produce hemp here. Distributors buy their products from countries where hemp production is legal. Fontan said there are more than 30 countries currently producing hemp industrially.

Some of those hemp products have even made their way to State College.

Econnection, 456 E. College Ave., carries some hemp products. They sell hemp seeds, cord for jewelry, lip balm, jackets, hats, shoes and jeans to name a few. Reza Farahani, co-owner of Econnection, said hemp clothing is softer and lasts longer than cotton.

Farahani said that cord for jewelry is very popular in State College because University students use it to make their own beaded jewelry.

Jewelry and clothing are not the only things that can be made from hemp -- nearly every part of the plant is expendable.

The seeds and oil can be used for cooking and medicine. The oil is also used in skin products, oil-based paints and petroleum. Hemp fiber is used for paper, rope and cloth. Hemp cellulose can also be broken down into a biomass and used for plastics.

Gene Bazan, director of member services for the National Association for Science, Technology and Society at Penn State, said one acre of hemp produces the same amount of pulp for paper that four acres of trees do.

Lee Semanek, a graphic designer and hemp activist from Centre Hall, said the paper used in books today will deteriorate in 20 to 30 years, but books printed on hemp paper at the turn of the century are still in good condition. Semanek said he works strictly with hemp paper.

"It will last way past my time," he said.

Environmentalists and farmers also benefit from hemp.

Since it is a weed, hemp needs few pesticides and can be grown in most soil types.

"Hemp's strong root structure helps to control erosion by holding the soil together and it adds organic matter to the ground through the leaves dropping off and decomposing into the ground," said Ryan Kremp (senior-environmental resource management), a member of Penn State Eco-Action.

Jason Kornblatt (senior-communications) said hemp benefits other areas of the environment.

"When you kill a tree, you kill all the life in the tree. Hemp could save this resource," Kornblatt said.

Only certain types of hemp produce enough delta-9-tetra-hydrocannabinol (THC) -- the chemical in marijuana that gives a "high" sensation when smoked for recreational purposes. Fields exist in Nebraska and Kentucky that contain hemp with low levels of THC.

"Confusing these two types of hemp is like saying cornflakes and whiskey are the same. They both come from the same plant, but have entirely different effects," Fontan said.

And industrial hemp has made its way into the fashion world.

Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein recently produced hemp fiber products. And Adidas sells a shoe made almost entirely from hemp.

With hemp edging its way into the mainstream, some say it is only a matter of time before hemp is legalized in the United States.

"(The government) is running out of time to really have a choice," Semanek said.