Scottish research team discover a new use for cannabis: Making cushions

You can use cannabis for anything, even cushions.

For many people, Scotland is one of the nations of discovery and innovation within this world. The ‘wee nation’ has been home to many great discoveries in the history of humanity. However, one topic that Scotland has undergone precious little research into is the use of cannabis products. Illegal by government regulation, the use of cannabis is extremely limited in medical circumstances; most assume that cannabis is unlikely to ever become legal within Scotland. However, this does not mean that the product itself is not being reviewed to determine other uses, like cannabis cushions.

While a Scot is unlikely to walk into a cannabis store or buy weed online, they might soon find cannabis-based goods on the shelves of stores. Why? Because a team of researchers in the country appear to have discovered how to use cannabis to make cushions.

Is the future for cushions a green one?

For years, studies into making products greener in their production and their constructional make-up have been vital. As we realise the impact that synthetic goods are having on our planet, we are moving ever closer towards using natural goods. However, the use of hemp and cannabis to make goods has long been a tough discussion. Despite its historical use, we have instead moved towards using more synthetic materials in the years since.

However, the creation of eco-friendly foam cushions – a popular choice in homeware shops all around the country – with the use of cannabis could be a future opportunity. This comes from research from Scotland’s Rural College, with their discovery that hemp can be used to make natural equivalents to synthetic petrochemical products that we make today.

This includes not only the foam for cushions, but packaging products, insulation, and more. The professor in new products from biomass at the college, Vijay Kumar Thakur, said that the future “is definitely hemp”.

Back to the future for Scottish manufacturing?

Hemp was once very commonly used within UK manufacturing. However, for decades the nation has instead relied upon the use of other materials in place of hemp-based products. With Scotland aiming to be a carbon-neutral nation by 2050, the need to turn to other product ranges and manufacturing systems is essential.

Research into the use of hemp has been an ongoing topic for many years, but it looks like it could now bear a lot of fruit in the years to come. With a need to find ethical alternatives to the quick-snap synthetic solutions of recent decades, then, it is easy to see why the majority are excited about what comes next.

While a far cry from the kind of online dispensary in Canada that many Scots would like to have access to, at least this proves that Scotland has not closed its mind to the potential benefits of cannabis – in some form – entirely.

Who knows? In years to come, your cushions could be green in both colour and creation.