This paper is an introductory understanding of the American Hemp, Marijuana/Cannabis environment...

1.
THE NEVADA CANNABIS GUILD
presents the
Hemp America Union
curated and co‐written by
david h. moore

2. 2
This paper is a concise and comprehensive understanding of the American Hemp, Marijuana/Cannabis
environment; and is a work of scientific‐art…
Introduction
As illustrated in the figure below, cannabis (marijuana) has often been misperceived as a purely
recreational drug (with many perceiving it as harmful). But thanks to the inevitable critical mass of
‘experiential knowledge’, most have realized the medicinal and spiritual benefits of the flowering
plant (as well as the environmental benefits of the industrial hemp farm). And according to a recent
Pew Survey, the majority of Americans support the full legalization of cannabis (and as recently as a
decade ago, only one‐third of American adults approved legalizing cannabis).
Industrial Hemp
Industrial Hemp is from the same species of plant that cannabis (marijuana) comes from. However,
industrial hemp has an extremely low psychoactive ability. And that’s because THC levels in the
medicinal cannabis flower is between five and ten percent. Whereas industrial hemp contains about
one‐tenth of that; and is from a different variety, or subspecies that contains many important
differences:

3. 3
1. Hemp fiber is the longest, strongest and most durable of all the natural fibers
2. Hemp cultivation requires no chemicals, pesticides or herbicides
3. Grown in rotation with other crops, hemp farming is completely sustainable.
4. Hemp produces four times as much fiber per acre as pine trees.
5. Hemp paper can be recycled up to seven times (compared with three times for tree paper).
6. Hemp is easy to grow, and conditions soil where it grows.
7. The hemp seed and seed‐oil are high in protein, amino acids, and vitamins.
8. Hemp is an ideal source of biomass for fuel, and hemp Ethanol burns very cleanly.
THC TETRAHYDROCANNABINOIDS
Tetrahydrocannabinoids (THC) is the primary psychoactive and ‘intoxicating’ ingredient that makes
you ‘high’. Hemp has a minimal amount of tetrahydrocannabinoids (THC). This is because THC is
formed in the resin glands of the female cannabis plant. Industrial hemp is not cultivated to produce
flowers, and therefore lacks the primary component that forms the cannabis (marijuana) ‘high’.
Furthermore, industrial hemp has higher concentrations of Cannabidiol (CBD).

4. 4
CBD CANNABIDIOL
Cannabidiol (CBD) is a class of diverse cannabinoid compounds that act on cannabinoid receptors in
the brain. These receptors are a part of the endocannabinoid system (endocannabinoids are
produced naturally in the human body and enable our regenerative abilities). The most notable
phytocannabinoids (found in cannabis) is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive
compound of cannabis. Other cannabinoids represent up to forty‐percent of the plant resin. In fact,
there are at least eighty‐five different cannabinoids present in cannabis, exhibiting a diversity of
effects.
Hemp Usage
In France and China, they use it to strengthen concrete. Mercedes Benz uses it to make many of their
interior door panels, and the original Levi jeans were made from it. Christopher Columbus had ropes
made from it as he sailed to the New World, and our own Declaration of Independence is written on
it; hemp was grown by the Puritans, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin
Franklin used it to make paper in America's first paper mill.

5. 5
All around the world, hemp is used to make paper, clothing, rope, textiles, biodegradable plastics,
food and fuel. Hemp requires no chemicals to make it grow or keep bugs away, controls the erosion
of the topsoil, and produces oxygen. Hemp will also supplant many industrial materials that have
been proven to be harmful to the environment and to ourselves; such as paper made from trees (not
only does this require the cutting down of trees, but the use of bleach and other toxic chemicals
which contribute to water pollution anywhere paper is made), and cosmetics and plastics that are
petroleum‐based and do not break down easily.
What is this wonder material? Is it some new high‐tech substance, perhaps? The answer is hemp (a
weed really) that has been cultivated for nearly 10,000 years, and has been used for various purposes
since the Stone Age. It could be the answer to untold environmental issues, not to mention world
hunger.

6. 6
Hemp Food
Like quinoa and soy, hemp seeds contain all the essential amino acids and essential fatty acids
necessary for human life. Hemp is rich in omega‐3 and omega‐6 essential fatty acids, is easy to
digest, and has an abundance of vitamins and minerals. It is used to treat maladies ranging from
cardiovascular disease to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Products that are made from hemp
include hemp milk, flours, cereals, frozen waffles, nut butters and all sorts of baked goods. Hemp
lends a nutty flavor to foods and pairs well with all kinds of other ingredients and flavors. According
to The Oxford Companion to Food (Oxford University Press, 1999), the ancient Greeks used to eat
fried hemp seeds. In fact, almost every civilization from the Sumerians on has used hemp for both
food and fabric. In medieval times, hemp was used in all sorts of cooked dishes including pies, tortes,
soups and pastries.
Today, hemp continues to be used all over the world for food and other purposes, with more than 30
countries producing industrial hemp, including Australia, Austria, Canada, United Kingdom, France,
Russia, Spain, China, North Korea, Hungary, Romania, Poland and Italy. With our economy, our
environment and the world's food supply all in trouble these days, hemp could be a marvelous
solution to many of the world's woes.

7. 7
And America continues to import hemp products from other countries, notably our northern
neighbor Canada, whose Manitoba Harvest is the world's largest farmer‐owned vertically integrated
hemp food manufacturer. They make some of the freshest and highest‐quality hemp food products
in the world. Perhaps we can look to Canada as inspiration to start growing our own hemp fields.
After all, it grows like a weed!
Hemp Nutrition
Hemp seeds are actually nuts (31 percent of the nut is fat) with a nutty flavor similar to pine nuts.
Although small, the nuts are big on nutrition, with up to thirty‐five percent of their makeup being
protein, and most of that edestin, a highly digestible storage protein. Unusual for plant protein,
hemp seed protein contains all nine essential amino acids in a favorable ratio for human needs.
There are 20 types of fatty acids (the "good" fats) that our body needs for optimum health. Our
bodies can manufacture all but two of these twenty, known as the essential fatty acids (EFAs):
omega‐6 linoleic acid (LA) and omega‐3 linolenic acid (LNA). Their sources are food nutrients. To be
most effective, these two EFAs need to be consumed in a balanced ratio; the World Health
Organization's recommended ratio is 4:1.
The hemp seed is one of the most balanced sources of omega‐3 and omega‐6 EFAs around. Studies
link many common ailments to an imbalance and deficiency of EFAs in the typical Western diet: too
much omega‐6, and not enough omega‐3.
Fish and fish oils are typically recommended because they provide the omega‐3 derivatives, but
consumers are concerned about mercury contamination of fish (which has led the FDA to warn
pregnant women and nursing mothers to restrict their fish intake).
Hemp's omega profile is a good alternative to fish. The seeds also provide other phytonutrients,
including phyto‐sterols and carotenes, as well as vitamin E, calcium, magnesium, and potassium.
Hemp oil is the richest known source of polyunsaturated essential fatty acids, and it's also rich in
some EFAs, among them gamma linoleic acid (GLA), a rare nutrient also found in mother's milk.

8. 8
Medical Cannabis Science
Medical cannabis research has moved forward over the years, but the breakthroughs made in 2013
were truly significant:
• Evidence that cannabis can help in a wide range of epileptic conditions dates back to the seventies;
and there are even more recent studies proving that cannabis helps in pediatric epilepsy.
• Evidence that cannabis can kill cancer cells has also existed for decades. And scientists from the
University of London conducted a study showing that cannabis can kill leukemia cells.
• Researchers show that cannabis may help cigarette smokers quit. After one week of treatment,
those who received cannabis sho wed a forty percent reduction in the number of cigarettes smoked.
• Scientists provide first clinical evidence that cannabis helps in Crohn’s disease. The cannabis also
helped the patients wean themselves from dependency on steroid‐based medications and improved
their appetite and sleep, with no significant side effects.
• Scientists provide first clinical evidence that cannabis helps in Parkinson’s disease. The results
showed clear improvements in symptoms of tremor, rigidity and bradykinesia. Patients also reported
a dramatic reduction in pain associated with their disease, which led to improvements in sleep.
• Harvard study shows smoking cannabis may reduce the risk of diabetes. The study also found lower
levels of insulin blood levels and insulin resistance among cannabis users, as well as higher levels of
the ‘good’ type of cholesterol (HDL); all of which are believed to lower the risk of diabetes.

9. 9
Modern Hemp
In 1937, Popular Science published an article called “Hemp: The New Billion‐Dollar Crop” that listed
over 25,000 potential uses for the plant. While this ancient crop has recently started to gain
popularity around the world, it still hasn’t received the attention it deserves:
• A Colorado company is using hemp to fight the spread of staph infections in hospitals. Various
chemicals found in hemp possess antibacterial and antifungal properties. Traditional cotton and
polyester fabrics help bacteria survive for months at a time.
• Insulation made from hemp is quickly becoming a popular eco‐friendly alternative to traditional
insulation materials like mineral wool. Hemp is also carbon‐negative (absorbs more greenhouse
gases than emitted during the production process).
• Hemp has also found its way into concrete mixes. Hempcrete can be used for a variety of
construction needs, from walling to roof insulation to flooring. On top of being carbon‐negative,
hempcrete is said to be easier to work with and has natural insulating and moisture regulating
properties. Hemp bricks also lack the brittleness of traditional concrete and thus do not require
expansion joints.
• Hemp composite can be found in cars made by Audi, BMW, Ford, GM, Chrysler, Mercedes, Lotus
and Honda, among many others. Biocomposite made from hemp fiber is just as strong as fiberglass,
but incredibly lightweight. With fuel economy becoming a primary focus of all carmakers, hemp
composite will only become more common in cars.
• Graphene is often touted as the future of nanotechnology, and the thinnest, strongest, and lightest
material ever made. But how does hemp compare? Apparently, it’s even better. Earlier this year,
chemical engineers from the University of Alberta turned hemp fiber into a nanomaterial with similar
properties as graphene, but a much lower price.
• What’s more, when it comes to making energy storage devices like batteries and supercapacitors,
the hemp nanomaterial showed “superior electrochemical storage properties” compared to
graphene. Research is still in its early stages, but if the results hold, hemp could eventually be used
for a wide range of nanotechnology applications, from flashlights to solar cells.

10. 10
Raw Cannabis
Mounting evidence suggests Raw Cannabis is best. Cannabis clinician Dr. William Courtney
recommends drinking 4 to 8 ounces of raw flower and leaf juice from any Hemp plant, 5 mg of
Cannabidiol (CBD) per kg of body weight, a salad of Hemp seed sprouts, and 50 mg of THC taken in 5
daily doses.
Why raw? Heat destroys certain enzymes and nutrients in plants. Incorporating raw cannabis allows
for a greater availability of those elements. Those who require large amounts of cannabinoids
without the psychoactive effects need to look no further than raw cannabis. In this capacity, it can be
used at 60 times more tolerance than if it were heated. Raw cannabis is a dietary essential.
Please Use Hemp
If today is a typical day on planet Earth, we will lose 116 square miles of rainforest, or about an acre a
second. We will lose another 72 square miles to encroaching deserts, as a result of human
mismanagement and overpopulation. We will lose 40 to 100 species, and no one knows whether the
number is 40 or 100. Today the human population will increase by 250,000. And today we will add
2,700 tons of chlorofluorocarbons to the atmosphere and 15 million tons of carbon. Tonight, the
climate will be more extreme, the waters more acidic, and the fabric of life more threadbare.

11. 11