That is just one of the many uses hemp could provide us. While hemp has been replaced as most versatile crop by cotton some years ago in this country, it is still grown in some areas of the world. While many blindly argue that growing hemp means you are growing marijuana, further in this report, you will hopefully discover that hemp is more versatile than cotton, more environmentally friendly and more cost effective.

Cotton has been used by man for over 5000 years. Cotton is commonly grown on irrigated fields (73%, WWF, 1997) and few are grown on rain-fed fields (27%, WWF, 1997)

And while the acreage used to grow cotton has not increased since 1930, the amount grown annually has in tripled. This is due to advanced techniques in ecology. Cotton is used in a variety of textiles ranging from apparel to paper. It is a major player in the worldwide economy. In Pakistan, one of the world larg

Now, hemp, a plant that has been harvested for over 12000 years, is an equally if not more versatile crop. Outlawed in the U.S. as its been grouped with marijuana which is in the same family (cannabis sativa). However, hemp is grown for its stalks, not its leaves, thus giving it nearly no THC (the active ingredient in marijuana).

Over 50 percent of the worlds pesticides are sprayed on cotton. In 1995, for every acre in the U.S., 14.5 pounds of pesticide was sprayed! There are over 150 different pesticides and herbicides used on cotton alone. All of these are toxic as well. These toxins get into the air, the ground water, affecting the local wildlife...

Also, hemp is grown for its seed. The seed, used as birdseed and oil is high in protein. The oil from hemp is the richest know source for polyunsaturated fats, which are healthy for the body. In addition, the oil is high in essential amino acid, including gamma linoleic acid (GLA), a very rare resource also found in mother's breast milk. Hemp seed oil is used in many foods, including crackers and c

Some common words found in the essay are:
, hemp textiles, wwf 1997, hemp grown, pesticides herbicides, versatile crop, cotton single, hemp paper,
Approximate Word count = 714
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)