10 Ways to Use Hemp Paper

Hemp is humanity’s oldest crop. Over the centuries, we’ve discovered dozens of ways to use this eco-friendly and versatile plant, and some of these applications are still valid today.

Whether you use hemp to roll your joints, draw your sketches, or print your books, there are dozens of ways to support the hemp industry by using hemp paper. Lean the top 10 uses of hemp paper that might make the world a better place.

1. Roll up a joint

Hemp is, by far, the safest and most useful substance to use when producing rolling papers. Wood pulp, rice, and other popular rolling paper materials require significant processing, and they also require more pesticides and fertilizers to produce.

Naturally pest-resistant, the hemp plant produces stalks that contain abundant concentrations of fibers. When smoked, hemp paper tastes better than other materials used to make rolling papers.

Hemp papers are also more eco-friendly. The hemp plant acts as a bioremediator, which means that it cleans soil.

It’s possible to grow hemp without using any artificial pesticides or fertilizers. Even when grown as a monoculture, hemp is less harmful to the environment than timber or rice.

2. Replace your printer paper

Production of wood pulp leads to deforestation. Paper processing causes considerable amounts of air, water, and soil pollution.

Hemp pulp produces fibers that are up to five times longer than wood pulp fibers. As a result, hemp paper is stronger, and it requires less processing to produce.

What’s more, hemp contains considerably more cellulose than wood pulp, meaning that less plant material can be used to make more paper. Paper timber can take decades to mature, but hemp matures in around four months.

A variety of brands now sell hemp printer paper online. Instead of opting for wood pulp the next time you fill up your printer, choose eco-friendly, durable hemp.

3. Use hemp paper for art projects

Hemp used to be the primary material used to make painting canvases. In fact, most historians believe that the word “canvas” comes from the Ancient Greek word for “cannabis.”

These days, canvas is usually made from cotton or linen, both of which are less durable and eco-friendly than hemp. For your next painting, use a traditional hemp canvas instead.

Hemp isn’t only ideal for canvases. Whether it’s sketching or watercoloring, hemp paper is perfect for works of art of any kind.

4. Read books printed on hemp paper

There’s a reason that copies of the Gutenberg Bible, printed in the 15th century, are still in good condition today. They’re printed on hemp.

Hemp paper lasts much longer than paper made with wood pulp. It resists yellowing, and it won’t turn to dust after a few centuries on the shelf.

Even if you don’t plan on holding onto your books until the 2500s AD, books printed on hemp paper are still superior. They’re resistant to tearing, and they’re more eco-friendly.

A variety of self-publishing companies now offer hemp paper book-binding services. The next time you buy a book, ask if you can have it printed in hemp instead of wood pulp.

5. Write your most important secrets on hemp

Due to its resistance to aging, hemp paper is ideal for archival texts. While secrets written on conventional paper might become unreadable within less than a hundred years, even the simplest scribblings jotted on hemp paper will last for centuries upon centuries.

Whether it’s your last will and testament, a list of your favorite foods, or the password to your Bitcoin wallet, consider writing important information on hemp instead of wood pulp. Anything you write on hemp paper is almost guaranteed to outlive you even if you don’t store your important papers in vacuum-sealed vaults deep underground.

6. Use hemp fiber to make cardboard

Each and every one of those Amazon boxes stacked up in your garage came from a tree. If you thought wood pulp paper was bad for the environment, cardboard made from wood pulp paper is even worse.

Hemp cardboard is more durable than cardboard made from wood pulp. If you’re tired of boxes showing up to your house full of holes and dents, channel your frustration into demanding that more cardboard be made using hemp.

Hemp cardboard is better for the environment for the same reasons that hemp paper is environmentally friendly. Save a tree, and start relying on hemp as the default for global cardboard production.

There are already a few companies that produce hemp cardboard. Whether you run an eCommerce business or just send packages to your relatives every once in a while, stock up on some eco-friendly hemp boxes.

7. Lobby for hemp bank notes

We live in an era of digital wallets and cryptocurrencies. Regardless, physical banknotes will remain necessary for the foreseeable future, and hemp paper is a durable material to use for paper money.

Hemp was a primary component of paper currency in the United States until the advent of cannabis prohibition. In fact, a commemorative $10 bill printed in 1914 was made exclusively from hemp.

Today, U.S. dollars are printed on “paper” composed of 75% cotton and 25% linen. Many countries have adopted plastic printed currency, and the U.S. Treasury Department has been pressured to follow suit.

Global plastic pollution, however, continues to be a major problem. Switching back to printing U.S. dollars on hemp would be an eco-friendly move that would simultaneously support the American hemp industry.

8. Brew with a hemp tea pouch

As we all remember from impromptu childhood science experiments, wood pulp paper falls apart at the slightest touch of water. Hemp paper, however, keeps its shape and integrity even when immersed in liquid for a long time.

Research shows that filters made with hemp fibers are incredibly effective. While we aren’t aware of any automotive oil filters that feature hemp fibers, the excellent filtration properties of hemp paper are already deployed in the arenas of tea bags and coffee filters.

Some brands, for instance, offer reusable tea pouches that feature hemp paper. It’s also possible to buy reusable hemp paper coffee filters. Brew your next hot drink using eco-friendly hemp instead of an environmentally harmful alternative.

9. Stay hygienic with hemp

Human bodies can be messy. We’d all prefer to turn a blind eye to the biological messes that we and our loved ones make, but these sticky situations only become worse when we rely on wood pulp paper to get the job done.

Prone to rips and tears, wood pulp paper is supremely unqualified as a default material for diapers and feminine hygiene products. Hemp paper, on the other hand, is impressively durable. It’s also hypoallergenic, making it less likely to irritate sensitive skin.

10. Blend hemp with wood pulp to make recycled paper

Hemp isn’t only a useful paper product on its own. Hemp pulp can also be used to make conventional recycled paper stronger and increase the longevity of recycled paper products.

It’s possible to recycle hemp pulp as many as seven times. Wood pulp, on the other hand, can only be recycled a maximum of three times before it breaks down into unusable glop.

In addition to strengthening and increasing the lifetime of recycled paper, hemp paper also reduces waste in the hemp industry. High-end hemp products are usually made with long-staple bast fibers. Hemp’s hurd fibers, however, are often discarded.

While shorter, these fibers are just as useful for applications like paper. By incorporating hemp hurd fibers into recycled paper, manufacturers can use hemp paper to prevent waste in the timber and hemp industries simultaneously.