In a world dominated by manufacturing companies working to craft the most amazing glass bongs, hand pipes, and the next best portable herbal vaporizer, it is hard to find companies that are focusing on the non-psychoactive side of legal cannabis. The majority of smokers are focused on the dry herb we all know and love, but there is another facet of the legal cannabis industry that constantly gets shoved under the rug, so to speak. Hemp and CBD are important facets of the legal cannabis industry that don't get nearly as much love as they deserve.
What is Hemp?
Even for some veterans out there, hemp is something that is filled with mystery. Most smokers tend to know a good deal about legal cannabis, but they fail to explore the non-psychoactive underbelly of the industry. Hemp, and by proxy CBD, has a lot more going for it than many people might believe.
Hemp is derived from the fibers and seeds of the Cannabis Sativa L plant. The fibers and seeds do not carry very much latent THC – under .3% -- and can therefore be used without having to worry about feeling any psychoactive effects.
Hemp was first spun over 10,000 years ago, making it one of the oldest plants used for industrial (primitive or not) purposes. One of the primary reasons behind hemp's widespread usage is because of how hearty and easily grown the plant is. Unlike the growth of its psychoactive counterpart, hemp does not require much care and precision. Cannabis Sativa L can be grown in just about any condition, and used for a number of various things, including the creation of medicinal products and manufacturing of houses.
Despite its many uses, hemp fell under the chains of Prohibition in the early 20th Century. The United States government lumped hemp into the same category as traditional cannabis, even though there is no psychoactive component to hemp whatsoever. However, thanks to the 2014 Farm Bill, growing hemp for industrial purposes was made legal under certain restrictions, bringing this wonder plant into the 21st Century with great gusto and allowing enthusiasts from all over the world the opportunity to experience all that hemp has to offer.
The Various Uses of Hemp
Hemp can be utilized in a variety of different ways, making it one of the most resilient and versatile plants out there. Whether you are searching for a natural medicine, a new and intriguing way to manufacture car parts, or you are just trying to build a house, hemp has what you need.
Medicinal
One of the most common uses of hemp is for the cannabidiol, or CBD, that can be extracted from the plant. Unlike other forms of the cannabis plant, Cannabis Sativa L produced a heightened amount of CBD, a chemical that can be used for a lot of medicinal uses. Due to how simply hemp can be produced, it provides easy access to hefty amounts of CBD for a variety of uses.
CBD offers a great deal of medicinal and therapeutic benefits, and it is completely safe for consumption. It is highly reactive with the endocannabinoid system, allowing it to really make things happen; it stimulates all kinds of positive changes in the body.
Some of the most common uses of CBD are to relieve anxiety, pain, seizures, depression, and inflammation. No matter what problems you suffer from, CBD can be used in some way to alleviate it. But, the benefits of CBD use do not just stop at humans. Many companies are now producing CBD for animals thanks to its many widespread medicinal uses.
Due to its widespread legality, CBD is sold in many different stores all over and can be shipped to just about anywhere in the world. CBD infused gummies and treats are flying off the shelves everywhere, making it one of the best up-and-coming legal remedies that can be accessed anywhere.
Practical
Hemp's medicinal and therapeutic uses are only one facet of its viability. The practical uses for hemp even pre-date the medicinal, especially where the creation of clothing and paper is concerned.
Thousands of years ago, hemp was considered to be one of the best plants to use 
for the creation of paper and clothing, thanks to the plant's resilience, how easy it is to dye, and how well it retains color. However, in the early 20th Century, hemp lost the clothing war to cotton. The onset of Prohibition was another nail in hemp's coffin, making it extremely difficult to make any headway for hemp manufacturing for a long time. In recent years, however, hemp has made a comeback; thanks to new processes that make the production and cultivation easier, now there are companies all over the world that are pumping out hemp-based products at alarming rates.
Not only are companies producing hemp-based clothing and paper, but many of them are also starting to look to hemp for the creation of biodegradable plastics. Due to how prolifically hemp grows, it makes a great source for sustainable "bioplastics." Hemp is one of the best eco-friendly alternatives available for traditional carbon-based plastics.
Construction
Hemp has played a major role in the creation of new medicines, clothing, and plastics, but there is another facet of hemp that solidifies it as the wave of the future: construction. Prior to the 20th Century and the onset of Prohibition, roughly 3,000 tons of hemp products were available on the market in the United States alone. Since the Farm Bill of 2014, multiple companies have jumped right back into the mix to craft some amazing new uses for hemp in the modern day.
In the automotive industry, there are a few manufacturers that are starting to incorporate hemp-based bioplastics in their vehicle construction, including Mercedes, BMW, and Audi. The concept of "less weight = less fuel" is one of the main reasons that these manufacturers are making the switch. Replacing metal and plastic based components with hemp greatly reduces the weight of a vehicle, allowing it to require far less fuel than you would typically use.
Vehicles are not the only things getting a hemp tune-up, though. Building
construction is also getting a facelift with the hemp craze. Hempcrete, also known as hemplime, is a bio-composite material created through the binding of natural fibers and a matrix (in this case, resin). Hempcrete lacks the brittleness of concrete and can be used for both construction and insulation. Hemp serves as a lightweight building material that does not release harmful chemicals into the atmosphere like the manufacturing of concrete. The only real downside is that hemp is not the best for load-bearing walls because of how long it takes for the bricks to set. However, with new innovation comes new ways to quickly cure and dry hempcrete to allow it to work wonderfully even under load.
Final Thoughts
Hemp is one of the oldest materials to be used on a large scale for a variety of purposes. With the widespread, massive push for legalization, hemp is starting to make headway once more. Prohibition did a good job of keeping cannabis, and hemp, restricted, but now there are more and more companies that are popping up to prove that hemp is the real wave of the future.