Hempelopes

Text on back of envelope:

“Hemp is of the first necessity to the wealth and protection of the country.”
   — Thomas Jefferson

America’s founders held hemp (cannabis sativa) in very high regard. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew hemp on their plantations. Benjamin Franklin started one of America’s first paper mills with cannabis hemp. Betsy Ross utilized hemp fiber in sewing the first American flag. The first and second drafts of the Declaration of Independence were written on hemp paper. So valued was this resource that it was considered legal tender from 1631 until the 1800s.

Today, hemp could provide four times the amount of paper yielded per acre than trees without requiring the toxic chemicals currently used in the tree-to-paper process. It could also provide stronger, more curable cloth than cotton without depleting the soil as cotton does. Additionally, the hemp plant is an excellent source of fuel, its seeds are more nutritious than soy beans, and its therapeutic and medicinal properties have been highly prized since time immemorial.

“Make the most of it.”
   — George Washington