| Both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson | | | | can create building materials superior to |
| grew hemp on their plantations. Ben Franklin | | | | wood in strength, quality and cost. Heating |
| owned a mill that made hemp paper. Jefferson | | | | and compressing plant fibers can create |
| drafted the Declaration of Independence on | | | | practical, inexpensive, fire-resistant |
| hemp paper. | | | | construction materials with excellent thermal |
| | | | and sound-insulating qualities. These strong |
| Hemp is a highly evolved plant species and is | | | | plant fiber construction materials could |
| not genetically engineered. Hemp is heat, | | | | replace dry wall and wood paneling. One acre |
| mildew, pest, light, and rot resistant. | | | | of hemp produces as much cellulose fiber pulp |
| Hemp's long, smooth, hollow fibers make hemp | | | | as 4.1 acres of trees, making hemp a perfect |
| very strong, durable and mold and mildew | | | | material to replace trees for pressed board, |
| resistant. | | | | particle board, and concrete construction |
| | | | molds. |
| Hemp produces more pulp per acre than timber | | | | |
| on a sustainable basis, and can be used for | | | | Construction products such as medium density |
| every quality of paper. As a result Hemp | | | | fiberboard, oriented strand board, and even |
| produces four times as much paper per acre as | | | | beams, studs and posts can be made out of |
| trees. Hemp paper manufacturing can reduce | | | | hemp. Because of hemp's long fibers (bundles |
| wastewater contamination. Hemp's low lignin | | | | of 7 feet long can be common), the products |
| content reduces the need for acids used in | | | | will be stronger and/or lighter than those |
| pulping, and it's creamy color lends itself | | | | made from wood (a Douglas fir tree's fiber is |
| to environmentally friendly bleaching instead | | | | at best 3/4 inch long). Hemp can yield 3-8 |
| of harsh chlorine compounds. Less bleaching | | | | dry tons of fiber per acre. This is four |
| results in less dioxin and fewer chemical | | | | times what an average forest can yield. Hemp |
| byproducts. | | | | can displace wood fiber and save forests for |
| | | | watershed, wildlife habitat, recreation and |
| Hemp paper manufacturing can reduce | | | | oxygen production, carbon sequestration |
| wastewater contamination. Hemp is Earth's | | | | (reduces global warming), and other values. |
| number-one biomass resource; it is capable of | | | | Hemp fiber paper resists decomposition, and |
| producing 10 tons per acre in four months. | | | | does not yellow with age when an acid-free |
| Hemp can be made into quality papers. The | | | | process is used. Hemp paper more than 1,500 |
| long fibers in hemp allow such paper to be | | | | years old has been found. It can also be |
| recycled several more times than wood-based | | | | recycled more times. |
| papers. | | | | |
| | | | Hemp is the strongest vegetable fiber on the |
| Trees cut down to make paper take 50 to 500 | | | | planet. The byproduct of pressing the oil |
| years to grow, while hemp can be cultivated | | | | from hemp seed is high quality protein seed |
| in as little as 100 days and can yield 4 | | | | cake. It can be sprouted or ground and baked |
| times more paper over a 20 year period. Its | | | | into cakes, breads, and casseroles. Hemp seed |
| natural whiteness can obviate the need to use | | | | protein is one of mankind's finest, most |
| chlorine bleach, which means no extremely | | | | complete and available-to-the-body vegetable |
| toxic dioxin being dumped into streams. | | | | proteins. |
| Rather, when required, hemp can be whitened | | | | |
| with hydrogen peroxide. Therefore, hemp paper | | | | Planting 6% of the continental U.S. with |
| is acid-free, which can last 1,500 years. | | | | biomass crops would satisfy all America's |
| Wood-based papers have a shelf life of 25-100 | | | | energy needs. Additionally hemp grows well |
| years. If the hemp pulp paper process | | | | without herbicides, fungicides, or |
| reported by the USDA in 1916, were legal | | | | pesticides. Trees mature in 50-100 years; |
| today it would soon replace 70% of all wood | | | | hemp matures in as little as 100 days. Hemp |
| paper products. | | | | can yield 3-8 dry tons of fiber per acre. |
| | | | This is four times what an average forest can |
| The heating and compressing of hemp fibers | | | | yield. |