The Benefits of Expanding the UK Hemp Industry

As we know there are many beneficial effects of taking CBD, but what are the beneficial effects of expanding the UK hemp industry as a whole?

The UK hemp industry is generally considered to be non-feasible, especially when it comes to the finances of it. This view is because currently, farmers are only able to harvest the seeds and fibres from the low-THC cannabis plants. The seeds from these low-THC cannabis plants are used to make hemp oil, as well as other health and wellbeing products, whereas the fibres from the plant are used in the construction and textile industries. However, when it comes to the high-CBD flowers and leaves, unfortunately, they are often wasted. The majority of the materials used to manufacture CBD products that are sold in the UK are actually sourced from outside of the UK. The financial benefits of the expansion of the UK hemp industry is only one aspect as there are also major environmental benefits to take into consideration. 

One impressive benefit of hemp is that it is able to absorb carbon dioxide, which is one of the main causes of climate change. Hemp has the ability to absorb, per hectare, up to 15 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Due to this impressive feat, it makes hemp one of the fastest natural CO2-to-biomass conversion instruments. Every year hemp is able to absorb more carbon dioxide per hectare in comparison to other crops.

Hemp is also able to decrease deforestation, for millennia hemp has been utilised as a material to make paper. The use of hemp paper was popular up until around the mid-19th century until this use subsided alongside the scale of the hemp industry and instead has been replaced by timber. If the hemp industry, not only in the UK but around the world, increased in size there would be a major decrease in the number of trees cut down for the manufacturing of paper. 

The hemp plant is also recyclable. The timber-based paper is also able to be recycled, however, hemp paper is able to be recycled more than twice as many times compared to its timber counterpart. Hemp fibre also has the potential to replace fibre-glass as an insulator as fibreglass is a non-recyclable material. Hemp is also able to made into bioplastics, which is an eco-friendly and sustainable alternative to synthetic plastics.

It is also able to grow almost anywhere, even in the lower-quality soil, and its intertwining roots are also great for countering any soil erosion, while its leaves are able to lock nitrogen in. Hemp has natural defences when it comes to pests, and due to its denseness, it is able to abolish weed growth. All of these benefits ensure that the need for pesticides and herbicides, which also damage soil, are eradicated. Hemp is able to absorb toxic materials from its soil and locks these toxic materials into its roots, hemp was even used to assist in clearing up the Chernobyl nuclear spill. 

With all of these benefits, particularly when it comes to economic growth in the UK and the environmental impact, it begs the question as to why current restrictions on hemp farming are in place?