Hemp, Cannabis, and the Natural Medicine Revolution

Hemp has been grown in the United States since the 1600’s – the seeds for hemp came over with the Puritans on the ships that sailed from England.  Much of what was grown was actually meant for British consumption, and ironically, the first drafts of the Declaration of Independence were created using hemp paper.

“Hemp”, which is a term for many varieties of the Cannabis plant, has been used for its fiber, for its oil, and its seed.

The strain of cannabis that contains the psychoactive compound tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is “Cannabis sativa” and usually referred to as marijuana.  This is not the strain of cannabis that is used for hemp and its associated products.  Hemp grows much taller than marijuana plants and hemp  does not contain the psychoactive compounds.

Thomas Jefferson and George Washington are two very famous founders of our country who grew hemp on their farms.

Like many laws that are introduced by politicians to benefit (or harm) certain industries and companies that have contributed (or not contributed) to their election and position – the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, that created numerous difficulties for all of cannabis production, may have been one of those political documents.  Hemp, which at the time was an inexpensive substitute for paper pulp and also for fiber, may have competed with the DuPont family’s new synthetic fiber “nylon”.  The Secretary of the Treasury at the time, Andrew Mellon, had invested extensively in DuPont’s nylon business.  Perhaps the passage of this Act was an attempt to stymie the production of cannabis and related hemp products.  In addition to the growing distaste of the federal government’s tolerance for marijuana use (even though the American Medical Association at the time condoned medical marijuana prescriptions and use), this act and others succeeded in stomping out the industry.

That is, until now.  Thanks to common sense reemerging for agriculture policy – growing hemp is now “legal” in nineteen States.  A provision in the 2014 Farm Bill made growing hemp possible with certain stipulations being followed, and the consumption of hemp products (which are not marijuana or psychoactive products) is legal in all 50 States.

Laws that stomp out people, companies and industries because of vested interests are nothing new (see Monsanto and the “Monsanto Protection Act”).  Laws are often created and used to help or hurt companies, create or disseminate industries.  When it comes to our land, to what we eat, and the medicines that we take – it is always best to have decentralized policies that allow for consumers to choose what is best for them.

Colorado is one of those States that has nullified federal law (with Amendment 64) and is leading the country in the production of cannabis.  Both hemp and cannabis sativa (and the many different strains of this plant) are being produced and refined into products that can have benefits for people.  That’s Natural! is excited to be a part of this with our very own all-natural, solvent-free, Colorado-grown hemp oil.

If you would like to explore the potential health benefits of this all natural dietary supplement (Legal in all 50 states) and used for hundreds of years around the world, we would love to hear from you!  Purchase direct from us or one of our sales reps.  Interested in becoming part of our growing national sales force?  Give us a call or email today!

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FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION (FDA) DISCLOSURE

THESE STATEMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN EVALUATED BY THE FDA AND ARE NOT INTENDED TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT OR CURE ANY DISEASE. ALWAYS CHECK WITH YOUR PHYSICIAN BEFORE STARTING A NEW DIETARY SUPPLEMENT PROGRAM.