FINAL PROJECT PROPOSAL
Cody T. Rivera
WRRH 200
Dr. Green
March 6, 2017
Hemp Is Not Weed, It Is A Technology
Hemp can be made into 25,000 different products and a bag of weed is not one of them. What hemp can be produced into are, small food packages of seeds for Astronauts, insulation and car composites for Mercedes Benz and Lotus, and plastic filament for 3D-printers. Ever since the early and mid 1900’s, the perception of industrial hemp as a “bad plant”, because of its association with marijuana, has never left the American peoples public opinion. However, since President Obama signed the Agricultural Act of 2014, also known as the 2014 U.S. Farm Bill, which featured a section that allows universities and state departments of agriculture to grow and cultivate industrial hemp, thirty states have passed legislation to establish pilot, research, and commercial programs to grow industrial hemp - as long as it has no more than a 0.3 percent THC concentration. As a future hemp business owner, a prevalent topic in many of my conversations with state officials and industrial hemp growers and business owners, is the need for a more robust infrastructure, which includes processing and manufacturing facilities to expand industrial hemps market potential and to start changing Americans negative perception of it. According to Christopher Logue, the Director of Plant Industry at the NYS Agriculture and Markets Department, “New York State needs a processing and manufacturing facility to grow the hemps industry, agriculture, and economy in New York State. However, my conversations never consisted of discussions about creating a robust infrastructure that will change the negative perception of hemp and it’s association to marijuana.
Ever since I became interested in starting an industrial hemp pilot program through New York State, to grow, harvest, and sell industrial hemp, I have connected and spoken with many people about the idea. What I realized in all my conversations is that I needed to explain that hemp is not marijuana, which is understandable since media, advertising, and the economy in the 1900’s shaped hemp’s negative public perception and confusion with marijuana. I pondered why so many people were still confused, even after 30 states implemented regulations and pilot programs, to grow hemp, which explicitly defines hemp as completely different from Marijuana. There are even multiple news articles, blogs, and websites that discuss hemps difference. Senators, Congressmen and Women, and Governors are even talking about how marijuana and hemp are not the same, but why are people still so confused? With this question in mind, I started to notice a trend in my research. People, businesses, and companies, who are involved in the hemp industry, but not all, are advertising three main perceptions of hemp that I find to be detrimental to the market growth and confusion of hemp: (1) They are still advertising that hemp is not marijuana while still associating the marijuana symbol with hemp, (2) They are advertising agriculture, which is not appealing to the majority of Americans, (3) They present hemp as a “free spirited”, “one with the earth”, “hippie” product. As I looked at these three unappealing advertising and marketing techniques of Industrial Hemp, I asked myself, what is appealing about hemp and what is appealing to majority of Americans? What time period are the American people in that hemp could build off of? And the answer was, technology! The hemp industry should use the power of the advertising and marketing, and our time period of technology, to build its marketing platform and campaign to change Americans negative perception of hemp; from “bad marijuana” to a technology that will benefit society, the environment, and the economy. Instead of presenting hemp as a plant first, lets present the technological products that can be produced, while never mentioning that it is hemp. If Americans perception of hemp is ever going to change, and if the hemps market potential and utility is going to expand, than hemp businesses and activists should market and advertise hemp for its technological uses instead of its incorrect association with marijuana, its appeal to agriculture, and its appeal to a small group of people.
One point that will be discussed in this paper is the definition of technology. Consumers and technology companies have specific definitions of what technology is and in order to convince that hemp is a technology, the definition of technology must conform to the American peoples perception. A second point that will be discussed in this paper is how hemp’s negative perception was created, and why. The purpose of this is to understand how to use the same techniques that were used to change hemps perception so that we can use the same techniques to bring hemp back to market. According to April M. Luginbuhl, “The fear of hemp was constructed through language” (4). The author begins with the history of hemp in America and then describes the socially constructed view of hemp, and lastly, finishes by discussing the potential of hemp.
A third point that I will be discussed in this paper is how hemp is a technological bio composite that large commercial companies will become soon become interested in using due to the negative impact companies are having on our environment. Paul A. Flower states “biodegradability will act to drive the growth of markets based on bio composites. In particular, there is the belief that these technical benefits could have a real impact in the built environment…” (1785). He states this to emphasize the industrial application of renewable raw materials, such as hemp, during the increasing awareness of environmental and sustainable issues. A fourth point that I will discuss is Matthew Bell’s hemp architecture innovation and design research, which “compliments similar current thinking into sustainable materials and passive architecture while inspiring innovation in construction.” (Bell). On Bell’s website, a group design and research specialist, linked to associated industries and universities, are looking at how hemp can be used, in its most natural state, as a construction technology for new building methods.
The advertising and marketing infrastructure that is needed to change America’s public opinion and perception of industrial hemp is going very new because states are now just making regulations to allow for the growth, harvest and sale of hemp. Therefore, I will be looking at many different articles that take many different angles, to come up with an argument to why marketing infrastructure should be put into place to assist in the market potential of hemp. Although this is a rather new debate, I will have many perspectives and sources to include in my 12-18 pages that will make my topic unique and original by looking at the products and benefits of the products to American society. I believe hemp should be marketed as a technology so that this infrastructure can grow industrial hemps potential and chage the negative perception of the America people.
When it comes to the awareness of audience I think this topic can be very compelling and meaningful to society, which is highly interested in technology and becoming more aware of environmental issues. For example, majority of Americans in the technology field will deal with technology companies who are turning over to a more environmental platform, such as using bio composites. Advertising hemp as a technology is a way for people to disassociate hemp from marijuana. Hoewever, there are several drawbacks and negative affects of advertising hemp products as a technology.. In the end, the question we are left with is: can hemp’s products improve our environment and economy?