Why isnt hemp legal--?
Question:80% of all textiles, fabrics, clothes, linen, drapes, bed sheets, etc. were made from hemp until the 1820s with the introduction of the cotton gin
Answers:
It's not legal to grow industrial hemp in the U.S. Anyone can import products made of hemp or buy products made of hemp, but it can't be grown in the US. Sixteen states have passed laws legalizing the cultivation/farming of hemp. Many farmers in the US would like to grow industrial hemp as it is a profitable crop and there is a growing demand for the seeds and stalks that make the bath, food, textile, composite, medical and other 25,000 products that can be made of hemp. But to grow hemp in the US, a farmer must receive a permit from the DEA. There is a $2,500 non-refundable application fee and so far every farmer that has applied has either been turned down or the DEA just does not respond and the application expires. In North Dakota the Ag Commissioner of the state is a farmer and he actually applied in person at the DEA and they turned him down. The reason the DEA will not allow farmers to grown industrial hemp is because industrial hemp is from the same plant species as marijuna, cannabis sativa. Plant species can be pretty broad, strawberries and roses are from the same plant species but they don't look to similar. Indutrial hemp has no, or less than .04% THC, which is what gives you the high feeling in marijuna. Poppy seeds have about the same amount of opium in them. The Bush administration tried to make all products with any trace substance illegal to consume in the US but the Supreme Court rejected the case and the Industrial Hemp Industries Association (with a great deal of financial help from Dr. Bonners Soap) won the case, in part because there are a lot of people who have been consuming poppy seed muffins and bagles and have not reported any serious side effects. Until the DEA allows the US farmer to grown industrial hemp, we'll just continue to import the finished product from Canada, Germany, China, Nepal, UK, Hungary, Romania and 100's of other countries where it is legal to grow hemp. At Hemp-Sisters.com we have 100's of food, bath, clothing, handbags, hats, twine, jewerly and many other products made with hemp. We also sell to health food stores. Hemp protein powder and hemp milk are some of the fastest growing products in the health food industry because of the high source and appropriate balance of Omega 3 and Omega 6. These are important essential fatty acids (EFA's) which are critical for living a health life.
There's a good chance that the next administration will allow the DEA to issue permits for farmers to grow industrial hemp. There are too many compelling reasons and too much history of successfully growing hemp in Canada for the people to argue against it. As more and more products made of hemp are introduced into the US market, and more and more people buy these products, we'll start to see more pressure from the farming community to grow hemp.
Hemp is a great crop for farmers to grow, not just because of the demand economics, but it great rotation crop (deep roots kill weeds that don't grow back), requires no herbisides or peticides, requires very little water, and grows in almost any climate and soil condition. The challenges are shipping the seeds to a local production facility and converting combines and harvesting equipment for a hemp crop, something Candaian farmers have already done.
Thanks for asking the question and spreading the word about hemp. There is a lot of misunderstanding but the more people read and understand the better.
I didn't know "hemp" was illegal I just knew Pot was. I have a hemp rope I bought at walmart during halloween. It maybe that people were growing hemp and selling it as pot. So I dunno why if it is illegal. sry I couldn't be more help.
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