11 Amazing Hemp Facts

Hemp has been around for centuries and as you will find out, it is probably the most versatile plant in the world with many uses outside of only food consumption. Many people think of Marijuana when they think of hemp but Hemp and Marijuana are completely different! 

1. Can be used in cars. In 1941, Henry Ford displayed a car that was made out of soybean, hemp and plastics; it was lighter than steel and withstood ten times the impact without denting.  
2. Hemp can be used as FUEL for a car. The oil from hemp seed can be converted into biodiesel that's biodegradable and non-toxic; the fermented stalk can be made into ethanol and methanol. Although there are more efficient fuel alternatives, hemp is good in a pinch.
3. Hemp can reduce carbon emissions to help reverse Global Warming. Hemp can not only replace some of the causes of carbon emissions, hemp can eliminate carbon emissions. Hemp has such a high carbon-dioxide uptake that it creates a process called carbon sequestration, which captures emissions. Every ton of hemp eliminates 1.63 tons of carbon, according to Hemp Inc.
4. Home Building. Walls made from hemp are rot-free, pest-free, mold-free and fire-resistant. Plus they can last up to 500 years. 
5. Hempcrete-Hemp can be used to make a concrete for building that is lighter, stronger, quieter and easier to work with than traditional concrete.
6. Biodegradable. Hemp plastics are also completely biodegradable.
7. Prevents Deforestation. Hemp can be used as source material for wood and paper; one acre of hemp can produce as much paper a year as four acres of trees, according to the Hemp Technologies Collective.
8. Absorbs Heavy Metals- Hemp has shown it can eliminate toxins and radioactive material from the environment. Scientists planted it at Chernobyl and found that hemp conducted phytoremediation and removed chemicals from the soil better than any other plant.
9. Hemp enriches the soil where it's grown. Hemp has such deep roots that it can easily grow in many different types of soil and terrains. It even holds the soil together, and increases its microbial content. Once the plant is harvested, the stem and leaves are so nutrient-filled that many farmers put what they don't use back in the soil, which rejuvenates it and results in an even bigger yield the next year.
10. Fabrics-Hemp can be used to make beautiful clothing, purses, diapers and even shoes
11. Used in WWII-We used Hemp after Japan cut off our supply, we used our own crop to make ropes and even the sails for the ships with. 

These Amazing Facts courtesy of the Westword.