Cannabis as bio-diesel

2009.06.28

Utilized since millions of years by many cultures around the world, the cannabis sativa have proprieties that can be useful to the human kind from culinary to industry. Known especially by its hallucinogens attributes and by the cannabis phobia, promoted by the United States after the 30´s, the cannabis sativa and its potentialities have been little explored on the last century. The prohibition of the cultivation and of the simple existence of this specie, as well as the prejudice that it causes, have limited the interest of science in technologies that can be found in that plant for many sectors.

The activists for legalization of the cultivation and the consume of cannabis sativa give the credit of the prohibition to the north America industrial interests that has started developing on the beginning of the last century, especially the industry of petrol. With this fossil combustible we can extract not only diesel and gasoline, but also plastics and tissues; the same thing can be done with cannabis, but with a lot less pollution and a more abundance of renewable raw material and, in consequence, less profits to the petrol industry.

The American industries have formed, after the 30´s a context of prohibition that has promoted a very strong increase on the taxes of cannabis in the United States, what have caused the destruction of hemp in that country causing an increase also on the taxes of bio-combustibles derivatives of petrol, as well as many other products of other industries, as expose Miguel J. Dabdoub on the book “Agricultural, Technologic, Economics, Energetic and Geo-politic importance of Bio-diesel”.

The occidental modern culture has denied the knowledge’s about the potentials of cannabis in every sector on behalf of the industrial development, which on the other hand, have destroyed nature mercilessly.

Maybe it is time of looking through the past and recognizing the benefits of this plant, considered magic by many cultures before the industrial capitalist civilization. In these times were we look for solutions for the environment, the cultivation of cannabis presents an ideal alternative, especially as a bio-combustible. Of course that solution is not approached with naturalness, considering the prejudice that the campaigns against cannabis have formed decade after decade, and principally, the economic interests, that does not leave this in oblivion.

The obstruction, according to the activists, continue to be the industrial interests, since the economic system wins money destructing the planet, and now, pursuit their profits trying to repair it. The cultivation of cannabis, as well as the most part of bio-combustibles is better in regions of tropical climate, which means, the countries with late economic development and dependents; what , for sure, represents a risk for the petrol industry, as well as others, considering that the potentialities of this plant goes beyond it.