Cannabis hemp, a close cousin of marijuana, is a cash crop that has been underrated in our synthesize-duplicate-and-sell society. If brought up in a casual conversation, the usual pattern of dialogue consists of throwing it aboard the bus filled with tree-hugger, hippy and stoner paradigms.

Hemp has the potential to be a fuel, food and fiber, which is a reasonable alternative for our current unsustainable ways of living. Hemp seed is second to soybeans in protein content, a source of good dietary fiber and has more fatty acids, which we need, than any other food. The plant is not a psychoactive, which means you cannot take it as a drug or put it in that context altogether.

Along with this, the U.S. is the only industrialized country that hasn’t included hemp in its political and industrial policies. Producing it on a mass scale would presumably benefit our society and, at large, the planet as well. The plant can be grown without pesticides or herbicides because it’s a natural weed suppressor, which means less toxic chemicals to go around. With all of these positive aspects of hemp, farmers still can’t grow on a scale large enough to make any economic impact.

Farmers need a DEA permit to obtain viable hemp seeds thus making it illogical for them to grow hemp on a scale that is both beneficial to them and a commodity for the market. We need to grow up as a country and realize that there are other options out there that might sustain us. The artificial, egocentric and materialistic culture, which is currently going through a systematic breakdown, needs to gain speed immediately in order for us to develop solutions that are sensible. We need to understand that options like hemp are a necessity and deserve a place in the dialogue of people who make decisions that last.

In context, the economy is currently unstable and politicians, and those alike, have to understand that the decisions that have made little to no progress in the past need no more attention. Technology is also inevitably becoming part of our solution and it’s possible to merge our technological advances with nature if enough attention was given to each from perspectives that aren’t based on profit. For example, it’s possible to build a house out of hemp lime, which significantly reduces Carbon Dioxide output than its counterpart cement.

To continue living on this planet in the manner we’re currently doing it in is our ultimate death sentence. We have violently and shamefully devastated our own home with toxic chemicals and unsustainable ways of living. Perhaps it is time to look at hemp and other nature-based solutions, or what’s left of them, as a possible way to heal our ecosystem. This can only happen if a serious shift in paradigms begins and we start changing direction as soon as possible.