Healthy Eating & Nutritious Superfood!
First things first, hemp is not just another delicious snack, it's about the best thing you can eat for a healthy body.
MAXIMUM NUTRITION. MINIMUM CONSUMPTION
My journey with the cannabis plant began in 2009. What started as a venture to find hemp fabrics, turned into being captured by the spirit of the cannabis plant, which then led me to establishing a gluten free food manufacturer.
Industrial hemp has many magical powers. Read, digest, come back and read more. Share what you learn. The majority of folks don't know all the great wonders of hemp. They'll appreciate you shared hemp's magic with them!
Truth be told, it was hemp fabric that first brought my attention to industrial hemp.
In 1998 I had my first melanoma removed. All's fine, as it was removed in its early stage. Biggest issue, I had to keep my skin covered, even when driving in the car.
Cotton fabrics do not block the damaging UV rays from the sun. I needed clothing that kept me covered, yet cool. Most fabrics making claim to being sun protective, are treated or synthetic, which expose the skin to chemicals and plastics. Plus, most of the attire available was ugly and looked as if I was headed out on safari.
A few years later, upon an annual skin check-up, another melanoma creepy crawled its way to having to be hacked off. All's good, as it too was removed timely. It was my daughter who discovered the greatness of hemp fabric.
In researching, she found how fabric from hemp carried protection from the sun's harmful UV rays. Hemp fabric helps to keep you warm when it's cool and cool when it's hot. The natural hemp fibers feel fabulous on your skin as it's not picky itchy feeling when you perspire. The fiber can also aid in resisting bacteria. It's all part of hemp's magical powers.
In seeking out locating hemp fabrics, I came across the hemp seed. I had no idea at that time the hemp plant provided a food source. I was amazed at the nutritional profile! That was a game changer in my life. My long-time obsession with nutrition took hold. Thus my journey began.
Why hadn't I heard of eating hemp seeds before? Why weren't they readily available? As I started digging into the answers, the more I found out, the more I needed to know. I was captured by the spirit of the cannabis plant.
I owe a great deal to my daughter for her continuous help, relentless research and knowledge. Not only did she bring hemp fabric to my attention, she took it upon herself to develop hemp salves, tinctures and drops using hemp oil with other complimenting healing herbs and oil extracts, which help to combat disease and body function breakdowns.
She's also the eye of design and has dedicated, time and talents to bring the graphics of our Cousin Mary Jane and Lady Jane's branding to life in our label design and brand presentation. She IS the face of Cousin Mary Jane.
Let the magic of the hemp plant capture you. Food, shelter, clothing; hemp seed's incredible oil for nutritional consumption and skin care body products, to its therapeutic benefits and energy source. It's one of the world's oldest, most useful cultivated crops.
The benefits of hemp have been known and used for centuries. Way before the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 was the apple of Harry Anslinger's eye. It was deceit that spun industrial hemp through a spiral of propaganda that eventually banished the crop from U.S. farm field. Misleading the truth was calculated, strategic and runs into some very deep pockets.
The majority of our population knows nothing about the nutrition in hemp seeds. If I had a dollar for every time I've been asked if eating our hemp seeds would cause a drug test to fail or if eating them would make you high, I'd be rich! Although frustrating, people's concerns are not exactly out of line as our U.S. government has done an outstanding job in spinning disinformation about cannabis for the past century.
It's clear, in moving forward, education is key. Spread the truth. #EatSomeHemp
It's time for people's misconceptions to end. Help by sharing with others the goodness of hemp.
For the most current hemp legislation, check with 
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(This story was written in 2011 as a tribute to the creation of Cousin Mary Jane.)
“Grandfather Hemp, I don’t understand; why have we been ostracized from farm fields in the United States? We did not do anything wrong. For centuries, our older kin ‘folk provided so much for the United States. At one time people were required to grow hemp on our soil. During World War II we headlined a government campaign titled, ‘ Hemp for Victory’. What happened?” asked Cousin Mary Jane.
“Well, Cousin Mary Jane”, replied Grandfather Hemp. “Some of the problem started with the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937. Confusion, myths, dirty politics and some large corporations all contributed to our demise in being able to be cultivated by U.S. farmers. It’s a real shame, but the demand for hemp in the United States is growing again. However, currently, if companies or consumers want to engage in using the raw materials or eating foods from hemp, it must be imported from other countries. U.S farmers cannot grow the crop due to outdated federal policies which confuse industrial hemp with the THC variety of cannabis.”
“But Grandfather Hemp,” interrupted Cousin Mary Jane. “I thought the world, along with the United States was getting wiser to being more green. Hemp is the greenest crop that can be cultivated and the raw material of the hemp plant can be used to produce countless green products.”
“Yes, the science it there to support all this, Cousin Mary Jane, but it's not enough,” Grandfather Hemp responded. “Dirty politics, corporatism and lack of public knowledge continue this blockade against us. A field of hemp within a few months can provide the natural resources for so many things that are useful and strong, yet biodegradable that it is truly incredible. Growing hemp does not require a lot of water; tons of chemicals and pesticides are not needed; and it naturally provides nutrients back to the soil so farm fields are not stripped after it has been harvested. The growing of the hemp plant can actually clean the soil from contaminants. It’s called phytoremediation.”
“Further,” continued Grandfather Hemp. “Not only can hemp provide the world with a viable green energy source; as a food, I know of no other plant that can provide the nutritional value that comes from the hemp seed. Hemp seeds contain all the essential amino acids and essential fatty acids necessary to maintain healthy human life. The balance of the omega 3 and 6 within the hemp seed is considered a perfectly balanced oil for human consumption. It’s hard for me to understand why the food from the hemp seed is not utilized more to help feed starving children around the world. It’s quite silly really.”
“Grandfather Hemp, what can I do to help?” Inquired Cousin Mary Jane.
“Well Cousin Mary Jane," sighed Grandfather Hemp. "You will need to be an Ambassador and tell anyone who will listen. People must to be educated and understand all we can do. They need to know hemp is not a drug. If the United States would embraced the hemp industry, and allowed our farm fields to once again be abundant with hemp it would be wonderful!”
“The United States is the only industrial country that virtually prohibits its farmers from growing this low input, high cash yielding crop. Selling products and food of industrial hemp is perfectly legal. The U.S. economy would benefit.
Our farm fields are perfect for growing hemp. The United States could be a world leader with the production of hemp and it's products. It could mean JOBS! Lots of jobs. It would create a whole industry. It could mean a greener earth!” claimed Grandfather Hemp. “But we need government to act on behalf of its people, not corporate interests, not on ignorance. We need people like you to help bring attention to this so as a crop we are not ignored any longer.”
Hemp seeds are one of nature’s most perfect and nutrient dense foods. The seed is small, but packed with a highly digestible plant protein, which is free of trypsin-inhibitors and carries 18 amino acids, including the 9 essential amino acids making it a complete protein.
They are an excellent source of iron, magnesium, zinc, copper, phosphorus, manganese, and supply folate (Vitamin B9), thiamine (Vitamin B1), Vitamin B6; they contain riboflavin (Vitamin B2), niacin (Vitamin B3), potassium, calcium and Vitamin E. Hemp seeds are high in dietary fiber.
This amazing seed does not stop there; they provide one of the highest concentrations of polyunsaturated fatty acids categorized as Omega-6 and Omega-3 in an ideal 3:1 ratio. Hemp seed oil uniquely contains naturally occurring Gamma-Linolenic Acid and Stearidonic Acid. This superior dense nutrition makes hemp seeds a perfectly balanced super food.
It's cultivation
Hemp seeds come from the industrial hemp plant, also known as cannabis sativa L. The cultivation of hemp has a long history and goes back for centuries. It has been documented that the Chinese were eating hemp seeds 8000 year ago and that in 5500 BC; hemp was the first known cultivated crop in Japan.
The hemp plant not only provides us with an outstanding food source, all parts of the plant are usable and can provide the raw materials for thousands of products. Industrial hemp is a high-value, low-input crop, which can provide significant economic benefits to producers, manufacturers and consumers.
The cultivation of hemp is eco friendly. Simply growing the hemp plant, helps our environment. As a rotation crop it can help to ward off pests for other crops. It has a unique capability of actually removing contaminates from soil and water through a process called phytoremediation.
The plant does not require a lot of pesticides or fertilizers, nor does the plant require a lot of water. Nutrients used by the growing plant are stored in the leaves and when left to mulch into the dirt, they replenish the soil.
Hemp is truly a sustainable crop and provides many green products to the world since it does not need or create toxins when the plant matter is turned into usable goods. The products it produces do not , such as the toxins created when trees are pulped into paper.
Currently (as of 2013), in the United States, industrial hemp is pretty much forbidden to be grown. You may be wondering if hemp has all these outstanding attributes; why aren’t U.S. farm fields abundant with hemp? Why are Americans missing out on such an outstanding food source; and why are U.S farmers being denied cultivation of the crop?
Digging into Hemp's History in America
Hemp has not always been viewed in the United States as some kind of “devil weed”. In fact, it may surprise many Americans that the first hemp laws in America required the growing of hemp, not the banning of it. In 1619, it was ordered for farmers to grow hemp seed. More mandatory hemp cultivation laws were enacted in the 1630’s and in the mid-1700's. In fact, hemp was legal tender in most of the Americas from 1631 until the early 1800's.
There was a 200 year time span when you could even pay your taxes with hemp. A jail sentence could be imposed if you did not grow hemp during periods of shortages. More recently, during World War II, there was a campaign in the U.S. called “Hemp for Victory” encouraging farmers to grow hemp to support the war efforts.
Hemp is a renewable raw material and has a long, positive, useful history. When Christopher Columbus sailed his ships in the 1400’s, the sails and ropes were made from the fiber of the hemp plant.
Thomas Jefferson had a paper mill that processed hemp into paper. It was hemp paper that was used to draft the Declaration of Independence. The first Levi Jeans were made from hemp fabric. American flags were made from hemp fibers. Henry Ford built an automobile from hemp that was extremely dent resistant and powered it with hemp seed oil and alcohol.
At the turn of the last century in the early 1900's, a prejudice, negative, political agenda started in the United States against hemp by influence of inaccurate information. Many Americans, politician, law enforcement, and county government officials were, and continue to be, misinformed about hemp.
Moving int the 1930's, many were led to believe that industrial hemp and marijuana were one in the same plant. They are not. Although hemp is a variety of cannabis, it does not contain a high percentage of the psychoactive element Delta-9 Tetrahydrocannabinols (THC). It is not a drug. A person cannot get “high” when eating hemp seeds. You cannot get “high” from smoking hemp.
Contrary to what some people may think, Delta-9 Tetrahydrocannabinols (THC) has not been removed from the hemp plant. It's a different cultivar. The industrial hemp plant has always had low levels of THC.
The demonization of hemp and marihuana took center stage when Harry Anslinger was appointed as the first commissioner of the U.S. Treasury Departments Federal Bureau of Narcotics in 1930. Anslinger made it a personal goal to set off reefer madness hysteria.
He made claimed white women would seek out having sex with black men if they got their hand on a “marihuana” cigarette. He boasted how “marihuana” was a violent aggressive “drug” and it would make people “insane”.
This was prime timing and fuel for newspaper giant William Randolph Hearst, industrialist Lammont DuPont II, and U.S.Secretary of Treasury Andrew Mellon who put together a three-ring circus that would star Harry Anslinger’s act.
It was Hearst and his publication that came up with the slang term “marihuana” [today also spelled marijuana] for the cannabis indica Lam plant. This is the variety of cannabis that gets tiny trichomes containing Delta-9 Tetrahydrocannabinols (THC). THC is the psychoactive substance that produces the “high”. The stuff Harry Anslinger did not like that the “Negros and Mexicans” were smoking.
Wolf Peaches
Tomatoes were once known as wolf peaches, and until around 1820, they were thought to be deadly poisonous.
It was Colonel Robert Gibbon Johnson who bravely set the record straight by going to Salem, New Jersey and on September 26, 1820 he stood on the courthouse steps eating one tomato after another while the crowd watched in amazement. When he didn’t drop dead after making a spectacle of himself, folks quickly realized tomatoes were harmless and rather delicious to eat!
Over the years there's been much controversy as to whether a tomato is a fruit or a vegetable. Through most of the 1800’s, tomatoes were considered a fruit, and according to botanists, the tomato is a fruit.
The U.S. Supreme Court went to work and decided! It was May 10, 1893 when a ruling was set forth that legally made the tomato a vegetable. The reasoning behind the ruling wasn't science; it was to induce the ability to collect tax dollars. At that time, vegetables were taxed, fruits were not! So like a lot of governmental policies, studies, and propaganda, it was not about the truth, it was all about the money.
In 1897, Joseph Campbell & Co with the help of a chemist developed a method of condensing tomato soup. In a time frame of about fifty years, this red-fleshy food went from public opinion thinking a person would drop dead upon eating them to being canned and sold by fruit merchant, Joseph Campbell. Next time you munch on a grill cheese sandwich with a cup of tomato soup, thank Colonel Johnson for that yummy combo for disproving the myth of tomatoes being poisonous.
Botanically, I’m not aware that tomatoes and hemp have anything in common, but historically I find they share a parallel. Tomatoes, just like hemp got a bad rap. During this past century, the American public has been misguided when it comes to industrial hemp. Myths and political propaganda has led the public into the wrong direction and our government has succeeded in manipulating the truth.
Although hemp is a variety of cannabis, hemp carries no psychoactive elements, it is not a drug. The hemp seed provides one of the most nutritiously dense foods known to man. The seed is high in easily digestible protein and carry 18 amino acids, plus numerous vitamins and minerals. Hemp seeds provide one of the highest concentrations of polyunsaturated fatty acids categorized as Omega-6 and Omega-3 in an ideal 3:1 ratio; thus hemp seeds are considered a perfectly balanced super food.
Hemp is not the belladonna that some would like you to think! Cousin Mary Jane is standing on the courthouse steps shouting to the world, "eating hemp will not make you HIGH! You will not drop dirty if being tested for drugs!"
Don’t let myths, political propaganda and lies keep you from good nutrition.
#EatSomeHemp
The loss of the ability to farm industrial hemp in the United States was put into place by some very connected politics with key people in the 1930’s who had their own special interests in wanting to squash industrial hemp farming. This disinformation and reefer madness has served to misinform the American public and the world for decades. Andrew William Mellon’s nephew Harry Anslinger was the figurehead who was guided by some large corporate giants.
Anslinger was assigned to pressured the world into stopping hemp farming. He needed a job and purpose since alcohol probation was on its way out. It was the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 that started the demise of growing industrial hemp in the U.S. The act did not necessarily make it illegal to grow the crop, but like a lot of U.S. controlling policies, it imposed a heavy tax and expensive permit fees that pushed it out of being feasible for farming.
In the 1930’s Henry Ford had build an automobile using hemp composite for the body parts of the car. Further, Henry Ford was looking toward using hemp oil for the fuel source of his original diesel engine.
Imagine if Henry Ford would have been allowed to continue with his hemp oil fuel project... a renewable fuel source that could be processed within months. Clean burning and eco friendly, which did not require tons of chemicals and pesticides for growing a productive useful crop. A processing of a plant’s raw materials that was not harmful to humans or our environment.
Instead, efforts were being made to create a gasoline that would reduce engine knocking. The solution? Lead!
The American public was being assured “lead was completely safe”, while industrial hemp was being banned. Lead which poisons and causes such horrible issues, illness and even killing the people around it’s production. Quite a crazy comparison but reality of more deception based on corporate greed.
Now you can imagine Mellon’s cronies like the Rockefellers with Standard Oil was not too keen on that idea of fuel being processed for hemp oil. That was only the beginning. Hearts wanted to control paper production by gobbling up forest land and if hemp was not available for paper production, it gave him a bit of a controlling interest. Then you had Dupont and Dow Chemical that would benefit, to name a few more powerhouses.
The cotton industry was loved by the chemical companies as it requires the use of so much pesticides. Why would anyone with interests in crop and farming chemicals want to encourage the use of hemp fibers, a crop that required little use of chemicals? Those companies did not care that they were poisoning our soils, water and food system - and still don’t.
Then in the 1970’s Nixon had it out for “pot”. He placed industrial hemp on the Schedule I Control Substance List as a Schedule I Drug. It’s not even a drug, never has been. It doesn’t carry the psychoactive element of THC. Nixon put the DEA in charge of the industrial hemp plant and made the permits impossible to obtain, even for research.
Hemp was a direct competitor to paper and petroleum. Further, Henry Ford had begun working on trying to construct an automobile made from the cellulose in the hemp plant and he intended to use hemp oil to fuel it. Hearst had connections with DuPont who was working on patents for a new process which would make paper from wood. Hearst was the largest owner of wooded forests. The DuPont family had interests in synthetic fibers, petroleum oil and GM. The two were friends with Andrew Mellon who was the uncle to Harry Anslinger. Hearst, DuPont and Mellon had a great deal to financially gain if confusion and panic occurred with cannabis indica Lam (marihuana) and cannabis sativa L (hemp). It would open up a whole new industrial world if hemp were snuffed out of the American market; especially if indica Lam and sativa L were packaged in one bundle.
This muss and fuss would eventually lead to the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937. Since marihuana was a slang term, many were unaware at that time that marihuana was actually cannabis and hemp. This paved the way to prohibition of cannabis. The original intent of the Tax Act was not necessarily to outlaw cannabis, but to tax it to death. The possession or transfer of hemp and cannabis indica in the United States became illegal without a permit. Yet, permits were rarely granted and the fees were very hefty. If caught without a permit, the penalties were very severe.
During World War II farmers would be requested to grow hemp for the war effort. After all, hemp did provide the finest materials for ropes and parachutes. This would be a short lived attempt in bringing hemp back to U.S. farm fields. During the 1950’s Harry Anslinger would jump on his box top convincing folks that marihuana and communism went hand in hand. Anslinger felt stiffer, more severe penalties were needed to keep this red inducing, highly addictive drug, off America’s streets.
Anslinger ruled as a Drug Czar for 32 years until 1962. His powerful, negative influence over marihuana never swayed. This continued to squash out the ability to grow industrial hemp. The contempt he carried for marihuana was based off prejudice not science. It is unfounded that marihuana actually caused any of the things Anslinger made claim to and many of these misconceptions have carried forward today.
When Anslinger gave up the helm, it was just about the time President Richard Nixon was stepping on board. Nixon made matters worse for hemp when he placed it within the Controlled Substance Act of 1970. Nixon decided to classify cannabis/marihuana/hemp in the worst of the categories, placing it as a Schedule I Controlled Substance along with heroin and other highly addictive, no medical use drugs. The Shafer Commission, Nixon’s own appointed committee, had advised against placing cannabis as a control substance at all. Nixon’s personal prejudices contributed to going against his advisors. This strict classification scheduling system ended up including industrial hemp even though it was known it did not contain psychoactive properties and it was not a drug.
When the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was signed it into power on July 28, 1973 by Nixon, just days before his resignation in August, the DEA was given the authority to enforce the Controlled Substance Act. Since 1973, the DEA has had control over the hemp plant, which is not a drug; it cannot be used to manufacture a drug. Hemp is a plant that is a nutritionally dense food source and a renewable raw material.
This outdated federal policy continues today due to ignorance and money. Removing hemp from the Controlled Substance Act has nothing to do with being “soft on drugs”. Although the DEA recognized that hemp is not a drug, they will not release permits to grow the crop, which could benefit consumers and manufacturers. The DEA claims the hemp plant would allow for marihuana plants to be hidden within the same field and cause control problems. This is not true, the industrial hemp plant and the cannabis plant known as marihuana, though similar, are different looking and sow differently.
The United States is one of the only industrialized countries that does not allow the cultivation of hemp. Any politician or public official, who does not want to support hemp farming in the U.S. is either misinformed, a coward to speak out, or is being led astray by the special interests who continue to benefit from hemp prohibition.
While the DEA spends millions of our tax dollars eradicating hemp fields (the plant that has no psychoactive elements for producing any kind of “high”); U.S. manufacturers are left to import the raw materials from hemp for the production of food and products. Worse, because of all this misinformation, many people are under the erroneous belief that eating hemp seeds will make them “high” not healthy.
Take time to know and understand your food choices. Don’t be fooled by political propaganda. Your health and well being is directly related to what you consume. Choose foods that provide good nutrition. Try Cousin Mary Jane's food products. They are delicious and nutritious.
#EatSomeHemp
It all started with the idea of wanting to provide better, healthful food choices. Then it took hard work. Today we're proud to provide quality products direct to your doorstep through an experience you'll enjoy. And most of all, we hope you'll enjoy our products as much as we do. Call 844.EAT.HEMP (328.4367) or EMAIL US today to let us know what you think.
Our mailing address is: P.O. Box 298, Hadley, MI 48440 U.S.A.
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