Will hemp soap give me the munchies?

When I write Hemp what is the first thing that comes to your mind?
I am going to bet my bottom dollar your going to say either:  Pot or Marijuana
Am I right?  That is the general consensus. The cannabis plant, it is possibly the most misunderstood plant.

Here's another test:  what do you see?

I bet the first thing that comes to mind are:  late 1960's draft dodgers, hippies, dirty, lazy, druggies, low life's of society, the wrong crowd, criminals, losers.  

Did I hit the nail on the head again?  That image unfortunately has been one of the downfalls of this great plant because the misuse of the medicinal properties of the plant. It has been a sign of rebellion against "square society." 

BUT.... what if I showed you this?

Shines a different light on the image now doesn't it?  Society has been taught that cannibis is bad. It's a drug.  It's illegal. It's evil. It's leaves are the devil's horns.  Really? I honestly read it all when I read that last one.
But wait.. go back almost 330+ years ago (1787).  For Americans, the United States Constitution was written on hemp paper.  Henry Ford even created a plastic prototype car consisting of 10% hemp.

But did ever wonder WHY industrial hemp became illegal?  (warning mini history lesson cliff note version)

Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst, the two great publishing giants of their day, were fearful of hemp.   Hearst lobbied against hemp cultivation and agriculture.  Why?  Because he was heavily invested in deforestation for paper processing.  Since hemp is environmentally friendly, needs less processing to create paper, and creates three times more fiber per square acre than cotton, Hearst didn't want the "tree" paper industry to compete with the hemp industry.

So what did he do?  He lobbied that Hemp and Marijuana were the same thing.

All the while, the medical community was unaware. Since the medical industry knew hemp as "cannabis" and used it medicinally, they didn't fight against the "Mihuana Tax Act."  The history of the fight against the marijuana plant was not due to it's hallucinogenic properties, it was because of the fear of industry heads, like Hearst, DuPont and Mellon who were threatened by the vast uses of this amazing plant use in industry.

But what does all of this have to do with Masquerade Market?

Unfortunately, Masquerade Market's products get mixed up in all the legalities and public confusion between cannibis sativa indica and cannibis sativa sativa.
Why? Because I use hemp seed oil in my products.

The burning questions:  Will my hemp soap give me the munchies? Will I test positive for marijuana use?  Can I be arrested for having your hemp seed product in my possession? The answer is NO.

They are many different types of the cannibis plant.  One is the medicinal plant with THC levels ranging from 3%-20% (cannibis sativa indica) and the industrial hemp (cannibis sativa saliva)  which has a TCH level of less than 1%.   Masquerade Market uses hemp seed oil derived from the cannibis sativa sativa plant which is industrial hemp.

For more in-depth reading,  Vote Hemp and Arizona Industrial Hemp Council

I'm going to end this post by sharing how important and positive industrial hemp is not only to the environment as a whole, but to the United States revenue. Our products do not have to be made out of plastics. Our foods don't have to have artificial ingredients for nutrition or "fillers". We can have natural fibers with minimal processing (cotton and bamboo's has the highest chemical usage for processing into fiber and energy usage.)  We can become a self sufficient energy and industry sustaining country.

Here are a few graphics that will hopefully give you a new perspective on the very misunderstood Industrial Hemp plant.

Currently the United States Government is making strides to overturn the "Mirihuana Tax Act" of 1937 to exclude Industrial Hemp.

You can read more about it here:
House Bill H.R. 525
Vote Hemp
Hemp Industries Association

I hope that I have helped put some misunderstandings to rest about this amazing plant and have enlightened you with the knowledge that hemp is beneficial in all aspects of everyday life.

Oh and even though I have my own political views, I wanted to share this. In July 2012, President Obama even used a hemp scarf as a fundraiser for his campaign:

Stay Tuned:  Part 2: The Benefits of Hemp Seed Oil

As always, my gratitude to you for your continued support on my new road of adventure!
=) Kristina