Cannabis is an extremely useful plant. Medical marijuana and recreational use aside, cannabis has been used in a number of ways for hundreds, sometimes thousands of years. People have used hemp to make clothing, rope and paper for generations. There are numerous interesting cannabis uses that you likely never considered.

Over time, people continue to find new and exciting ways to make the most out of the cannabis plant. Here are some of the most innovative and interesting cannabis uses.

Interesting Cannabis Uses: Building Material

Hemp is a strong and versatile plant that can be used for multiple building materials. Hemp can be used to insulate buildings. Fiberboard, pressboard and wallboard can be made from hemp. It can even be used to make a form of concrete that is stronger and better for the environment.

Hemp building materials could save trees. Cannabis crops also have a faster turnaround time than timber, so materials can be created at a quicker pace.

Biofuel

Hemp oil can be processed to create fuel to power anything from vehicles to generators. Currently, biofuel can use up more energy to produce than the product creates. Researchers are hoping that hemp fuel could possibly solve that issue.

A study by the University of Connecticut shows that hemp can be grown in even infertile soils. Even better, hemp may be able to produce enough energy to power the entire farm, according to the study.

Nutrition: How Hemp Keeps you Healthy

Sure, cannabis can be used to make edibles for medicinal and recreational use, but that is not the only way to use hemp for food and drink. Hemp can create nutritional items that are healthy and do not create a high.

Hemp is full of protein, iron, calcium and omega-3 fatty acids. Hemp oil, milk, protein powder or seeds can be a helpful dietary supplement.

Not only can hemp be used in a human diet, but it can also make excellent livestock feed. Again, this hemp product would not create a high of any kind. Replacing the typical corn-based feed with a hemp feed would be more cost-effective for farmers and provide a nutritious feed for the animals.

Plastic Made From Weed

Hemp can also be used to create plastic. Better yet, the plastic made from hemp is easier to recycle and degrades faster than most plastic. Hemp plastic is also stronger and more durable than most traditional plastics.

Anything from pipes and tools to products and car parts can be made from a hemp-based plastic. There are a number of hemp plastic products already on the market.

Hemp Batteries

Hemp can be used to create batteries called supercapacitors. Essentially, these batteries are very efficient and much less expensive to produce than graphene or the other materials used to create supercapacitors in the past. Research from the University of Alberta shows that it can be 1,000 times less expensive to use hemp than graphene or similar materials for supercapacitor production.

Though hemp batteries are still being studied, current research has been very positive. In theory, if a hemp-based supercapacitor could fully charge a smartphone in just seconds. Imagine that! Further research is needed, but hemp could be the key to changing the energy process for the better.