Ask A Scientist© Environmental Science Archive

Author:      ericj
Why is it that hemp would be a more suitable replacement for trees in the 
production of paper products?

Response #:  1 of 3
Author:      mortis
I can think of several reasons why hemp might be more suitable than pulp wood 
in paper production.  First and foremost, it is much faster growing, so you 
could produce more fibre per acre of land (or hectare if your teacher insists 
on the metric system) over a given period of time.  Another reason might be 
that stands of virgin timber are becoming increasingly rare, so the value of 
pulp is rising, and species that rely on old growth forest habitats may be 
threatened with extinction.  When it becomes cheaper to grow hemp for fibre 
than to harvest timber, fiber producers will probably bring pressure to 
legalize the cultivation of hemp.

Response #:  2 of 3
Author:      wordsworth
One more thing that I feel should be added to the list of responses -- hemp 
fibers are actually stronger and more durable than wood fibers, and so would 
also make a pretty durable cloth.  The only reason we cannot use it at the 
moment is because it is basically uncured marijuana, which is not cool to have 
around.



Response #:  3 of 3
Author:      mortis
Yes, there are lots of reasons why hemp may be a better industrial feed stock 
for paper production that timber.  Two more are that hemp is virtually acid-
free, which means the paper will last longer, and secondly, it would cause 
less water pollution because the pulp would not have to be bleached with 
chlorine, which can cause dioxin pollution.  Another option would be to use 
recycled newspapers and cardboard instead of timber or hemp.  The National 
Organization on the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) can probably provide you 
with even more reasons why hemp is a useful product.