Cotton Reigns King but Hemp is Staging a Comeback
Political interests secured cotton’s dominant position, pushing hemp into obscurity. Sustainability interests are bringing it back.
Episode 23
2/6/2025
Once a cornerstone of American agriculture, political interests in cotton led to the ban on hemp production. Though having many similar uses, hemp wins the environmental battle against cotton. From clothing to canvas, paper to plastic, Jorden and Kimberly compare the versatility and sustainability advantages of the two plants, weighing hemp’s chances as a viable rival to cotton.
Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include:
How a Canuck one-ups a Yank on the American history of hemp
The laundry list of uses for all parts of cotton and hemp plants
Why the Great Depression spawned the 1937 Marihuana Tax Act
How astonishingly more sustainable hemp is than cotton
Why China is the biggest hemp producer, with France in second place
Why your next home might be built from hemp
Recommended Resources
The, apparently, only comparative sustainability study ever done on cotton versus hemp
Increasing US government support for hemp
A house built of hemp
Robust data, or so claims the US Cotton Trust Protocol on cotton sustainability
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