Industrial Hemp could be and important commodity in the US
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Hemp, different than marijuana, is illegal in the US but could be a valuable source of hemp products, paper, industrial hemp & hemp oil
Industrial Hemp, which is different than marijuana, is a cultivated plant in India and other countries. It is illegal to possess hemp in most western countries due to it's similarity in appearance to cannabis, or marijuana. The leaves of the two plants resemble each other in an uncanny fashion.
Indian Hemp grows wild throughout the US and is similar in appearance to the cannabis plant, the source of the drug known as pot or grass.
Hemp is mistakenly said to have toxic and hallucinatory side-effects
Hemp looks much like marijuana and grows as a weed in road ditches and agricultural fields throughout the the Central United States. Hence the local nickname of "ditch weed." It is commonly and mistakenly smoked by the young and un-enlightened who spot it growing wild. The primary side effect of smoking "this evil, dangerous and illegal scourge" is typically a bad headache, a horrible taste in ones mouth or, possibly, a plugged nose.
The hemp plant is commonly said to be the same as marijuana. Because of this it has significant economical importance. It is the focus of a few billion dollars of US tax money spent by the DEA or other government agencies in the misdirected "War On Drugs." I'm sure there have been more than a few innocent teenagers or misdirected city folks arrested after perpetrating a clandestine raid on a farmers weed patch.
When used as medicinal marijuana, it can ease muscle spasms and nerve pain
Marijuana is safely smoked like opium in eastern countries, but has to be smoked illegally in the West. It is said to ease muscle spasms caused by MS and other neurological disorders. The fresh root of Hemp, and possibly that of cannabis, is also considered good for burns if mixed with a little oil and butter. Some believed that, if boiled in milk, it could help cure a hot or dry cough. An emulsion made from the hemp seed was considered good for jaundice.
Hemp or marijuana is not to be confused with water hemp or bastard hemp, also known as agrimony. Agrimony was believed to strengthen the liver. It is still considered a valuable herb for treating fevers, urinary tract problems and renal and respiratory diseases because it contains natural antiseptics. It is taken as an infusion.
Thomas Kueny – Publisher