It’s quite normal for people to hear the words “hemp” or “cannabis” and automatically think of marijuana. Marijuana, as many people know, isn’t the demon that it has been made out to be, but thanks to the campaign against it for so long, it is seen as the horrible drug that leads to other drug use and blamed for things that just simple aren’t true. So now get rid of the Misconceptions About Hemp.
When hemp is lumped into the same category as marijuana, everyone suffers from the misconceptions and the untrue statements that become ‘facts’ to some people. We aim to set the record straight by giving you the truth, unbiased and uncensored.
Harvesting Liberty – the film
Patagonia has long promoted the benefits of hemp for the environment and the planet. As a company that is grounded in earth-friendly products and world exploration, it makes absolute sense that they would step out and be a leader on this topic.
As a hemp advocate, this company which produces mostly sustainable clothing is working hard to spread truths about hemp. While much has changed in the last ten years along, hemp is still labeled a schedule 1 drug, along with marijuana, which is simply ridiculous.
As part of their marketing, Patagonia is moving toward seeking the use of hemp to create much more of their product line, while they educate the public as well. They’ve created a film geared toward educating people and dispelling the myths that surround hemp.
Patagonia strives to set the record straight and to help people see the light in reality that surrounds hemp. Their film is “Harvesting Liberty” and was made by Patagonia employees. The short film focuses on the return of hemp to growing fields in Kentucky and how it can change the lives of the American people.
Hemp could be the crop that saves the American farmer, boosts the economy, cleans the environment, and puts us on a path of greater sustainability for the planet as a whole. The more that you learn about hemp, the more you begin to love it. In fact, there are really few reasons not to be in love with hemp. Watch “Harvesting Liberty” and see for yourself. It’s hard not to find yourself moved to becoming a hemp advocate yourself.
There are still so many untruths that have been handed down for generations that need to be dispelled. There are a few of the major ones here that need to be addressed to help people understand how wrong they have been all this time.
Untruth vs Truth
Hemp makes you high. Untrue.
It is physically impossible to become high from hemp or hemp products. THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is the chemical compound that is responsible for causing people to get high from marijuana use. Marijuana and hemp are both forms of cannabis but the two plants are very different.
Marijuana contains fairly large amounts of THC whereas hemp contains very little, typically under .03% as a whole. This is not nearly enough to even get a slight buzz from. People use hemp products for other reasons.
It’s a wonderful dietary supplement and CBD oil can be extracted from it for use as an herbal remedy for aches and pains such as headaches, nausea, and more. It has relatively no ill side-effects and you don’t need a prescription to obtain it, making CBD an alternative for people who are in a state where medical marijuana is not available yet.
Hemp is addictive. Untrue.
Hemp is a natural plant product that can interact with the Endocannabinoid System of the body but will not cause addiction. In fact, several experiments have been conducted in which people used CBD oil taken from hemp plants to help then break addictions to things like nicotine.
The reviews were good when questioned how well the CBD oil worked, people felt that it had helped them to stop using tobacco products for good by reducing any cravings that they’d had.
When CBD is ceased you will not go through headaches, nausea, upset stomach, irritability, or sweats like you do when you are actually addicted to something. You might miss the overall calm and sense of well-being that you have when you’ve taken CBD in the past, but you will not endure cravings or withdrawals.
Hemp is a gateway drug. Untrue.
Hemp will not cause you to seek other drugs, nor will it cause any addictions or withdrawals if you stop taking it. Many people use hemp extracted CBD oil for pain associated with arthritis, stomach upset associated with IBS or Crohn’s disease, and for seizure activity
Associated with epilepsy. In all cases, CBD oil can be taken at the onset of symptoms or daily for seizure reduction without causing withdrawals if a dose is missed or simply stopped when pain is healed or symptoms have passed. There have been no documented cases of hemp withdrawals or addiction, ever.
Hemp is illegal. Untrue.
At one time, hemp was illegal because it was lumped into the same category as cannabis and it was declared an illegal substance and declared a schedule 1 drug by the Nixon administration. This effectively made hemp illegal, as it was considered to be the same as marijuana even though it wasn’t.
Sadly, this remained the case until recently, in 2014 some changes were made in a farm bill that eased hemp restrictions and then again, in 2018, the Farm Bill was reworded to specifically remove the sanctions against possessing and using hemp products.
Marijuana is still only legal in the states that have approved it for medical use, which includes Illinois recently making the move to declare medical marijuana legal in their state. Hemp products are now bought and sold, as well as made and manufactured, in all fifty states of the United States.
This includes CBD oil and CBD products. In fact, there are new products nearly every day that many mainstream Americans are beginning to try because they are hearing how well the products work. The fastest growing demographic for hemp use is actually with our nation’s elderly population who are using CBD for arthritis pain.