Hemp is truly an amazing plant. Her fibers can be used in jewelry and textiles from soft clothing and lingerie fabrics, to upholstery, to high-durability cloth for shoes and outerwear. Her seeds and oils provide natural plant-based protein, as much omega-3 as nuts, and enough calcium to supplement a milk-free diet. Other parts of the plant are a great alternative to wheat and barley for fermenting into beer and other alcohols, providing gluten free alternatives. Hemp can even be used in building materials, oil-based paints and stains, beauty products, as biofuel capable of powering diesel engines, and for paper products of almost every type. In fact, an acre of hemp is capable of producing more than twice as much paper pulp as an acre of trees, and the plants take approximately a quarter of the time to mature comparatively, and grow in a variety of weather and temperature conditions.
And if all that isn’t enough cause to celebrate the leaf, there’s always the myriad of fashion benefits. Going green never looked so good, and we’re not just blowing smoke. Happy 420, Mister and Misses Fabulous.
