The Truth About Industrial Hemp

I come to you with concerns regarding the overwhelming use of marijuana, and how you can help. I speak primarily of the lacking U.S. presence in the industrial hemp market. This absence, or rather this opposition to the hemp industry, has spread through the government like wildfire. As a senator, you have the power to assist the sick, poor, and uneducated.

Hemp has long been used all over the world, and the United States has experimented as well – the country’s founding fathers understood and advocated its use. In fact, the USS Constitution’s rope, sails, and 25-inch anchor rope were all made of hemp (for a total of nearly 60 tons). During World War II, hemp became so vital that its farmers were actually excused from any military duty. In 1942, the U.S. Department of Agriculture even produced a film, “Hemp for Victory,” promoting hemp production. However, in 1957, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Domestic Cannabis Eradication and Suppression Program (DCE/SP) was enforced, which included a complete ban on hemp production. The program has since proven unnecessary and even harmful to the United States and its citizens, but it remains active. One of the DEA’s primary reasons for the DCE/SP is a fear of the psychoactive properties of marijuana, caused by the chemical tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). However, hemp contains minimal amounts of THC, (less than 1%) as opposed to “smoking” marijuana, which usually contains about 3%. What this means is that the hemp which grows naturally (without cultivation) is not the same kind of marijuana that people smoke. When marijuana was banned by the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, industrial hemp was banished with it, “in a blatant case of mistaken identity”.

This has allowed the DEA to consistently destroy hemp in ridiculous quantities. A report from 1996 states that, of 422,716,526 marijuana plants destroyed that year, over 99% were non-psychoactive hemp, or ditchweed. In fact, about 98% of the marijuana destroyed every year is considered ditchweed. This may seem to be relatively unimportant, but the benefits of industrial hemp are infinite. Its yield per acre far exceeds those of corn and cotton, which leaves the soil healthy enough to use multiple times. Additionally, it requires a fraction of the pesticides used on other crops. Not only would it be possible to have an endless supply of hemp, but it can be used for nearly everything. Currently, over 30 countries harvest commercial hemp, but the United States government has refused to take part. The crop is used on a daily basis in the United States, but all of it is imported from the countries that do regulate hemp, such as Canada. According to a statement by the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), the United States imports nearly two million pounds of hemp fiber, seeds, and oil per year. As a food source, hemp seeds have been eaten for some 12,000 years and contain higher essential amino and fatty acid concentrations than any other food.