The word 'hemp' for many people still conjures up images primarily related to its use as a mood altering drug. While Cannabis Sativa is certainly abused extensively for illicit and 'recreational' purposes, it has many other applications. In fact, industrial hemp contains very little of the psychoactive substance found in marijuana and is an extraordinarily useful plant that can provide more environmentally friendly food, fibre, fuel, medicinal and building products.

Hemp, aka weed, is called that for good reason - in some places it is invasive and is considered a noxious weed. Some varieties are very hardy and able to thrive in harsh conditions. It's these characteristics that make it a great candidate to replace pesticide and herbicide dependent crops such as cotton. Hemp is also a water miser and can be processed into useful products with little energy and without requiring toxic chemicals.

Here's some other fast facts about hemp

- Hempseed has high levels of protein, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, essential fatty acids and trace elements.

- Hempseed oil comprises nearly a third of the seeds' weight; making it a viable source for cooking oil, lighting and bio-fuel.

- Hempseed oil is also beneficial as a body care product and can be made into soaps, conditioners and lotions.

- The stalk provides an incredibly strong, durable and rot resistant fiber that's been used in the shipping industry for centuries. As hemp can grow over ten feet tall, the long fibers are perfect for rope.

- The short fibers of the stalk can be used in textiles as a replacement or blender fiber for cotton.

- The core of the stalk can be used to make paper and organic plastics.

- The woody core, known as hurds, can be mixed with lime, sand, plaster and cement to create a very strong concrete or building bricks.

- The core fiber can also be utilized in producing a fiberboard that is twice as strong as wood-based fiberboard.

- The stalk can also be used to make methanol and ethanol

- Hemp can be planted as a crop for restoring the fertility of fields in the process of stock rotation.

- Given its fast growth, hemp may also be useful in carbon sequestration - taking carbon out of the air and putting it back into the earth.

- Hemp is a great insulation material that can be applied in the wall cavaties and roof spaces of houses as a replacement for fiberglass batts.

- The flowers and leaves are used to make medicines for treating many ailments such as glaucoma and cancer sufferers can be prescribed it to ease pain.

And here's a very important fact. As useful as hemp is; the abuse of marijuana as a drug and consequent effects should not be underestimated.

The hemp on the streets these days is far more potent that what the flower children of the 60's smoked. It has been specially bred to produce higher quantities of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the psychoactive constituent.

Marijuana, Cannabis, Hemp, whatever you wish to call it is not a 'soft' drug. It can create  emotional dependency, remove motivation, slow down response times and in some cases induce terrible psychotic bouts if the person using it is predisposed to mental illness. Never let anyone tell you any different. If used for medicinal purposes, then it should be prescribed and monitored by a suitably qualified medical professional.

The abuse of hemp aside, it's truly an amazing plant that Western society should be making far more use of in an effort to reduce our impact on the environment.