When colonists from Europe came to newly discovered America, they were required by their kings to grow hemp. The hemp was making sails and ropes for their ships.
             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 largest cotton exporters, over two-thirds of their export earnings (63%, WWF, 1997) is from cotton.
             However, cotton is a very weak textile. It is a poor absorbent for moisture as well as giving poor breathability. Cotton also has many pests. Farmers use many pesticides to get rid of the pests. These pesticides are actually very harmful to the environment, such as Naled, which is toxic to birds, fish, amphibians, etc.
             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...
             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 g...