PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Industrial hemp can be found all around us. It’s in some of the clothes we wear, the cars we drive, the food we eat.
Hemp is known as one of the most sustainable fibers in the world. It takes little water to grow, and practically every part of the plant can be used, as the stalk’s outer fiber can make rope, its woody core can be used as construction material, and its seeds are high in protein and omega-3 fats.
Listen to the latest episode of In Depth
But, there’s a lot of stigma surrounding the plant since many people associate it with marijuana.
“It's a lot of bias and assumptions that are associated with cannabis just because of one molecule,” said Dr. Carla Garzon, the K.H. Littlefield Endowed professor of plant science at Delaware Valley University. “We miss everything else that can be done.”
In the latest episode of KYW Newsradio In Depth, Garzon dives into DelVal’s Cannabis Research Program, which she leads, and tells us about the benefits of working with cannabis.
Listen to the full conversation in the player below, on the Audacy app, or wherever you get your podcasts.