While cannabis will always be my first love, my current new obsession is hemp, as I realize more and more what an amazing plant it is. There are so many reasons to be growing hemp, commercially, in the US, and in every country, actually. Here's the link to my first hemp post which mainly talks about Hempcrete building blocks. If we had any sense, which clearly we don't, all new construction of homes in this country would use Hempcrete building blocks. BUT, NO...because HEMP IS STILL FUCKING ILLEGAL.

Unfortunately, for us, in 1937, Harry J. Anslinger managed to convince our government not only to make cannabis illegal but to make hemp illegal, as well.. This has remained the law for the past 80 years. Don't even get me started on how totally idiotic this is since you could smoke hemp until "the cows come home" and it would NOT get you stoned. Apparently, the DEA cannot distinguish between cannabis and hemp. SMDH

Did you know that the United States is the only developed nation that fails to commercially cultivate industrial hemp as an economic crop...the ONLY FUCKING NATION?...we're #1...not in the right way!

Yeah, so while we are the largest consumer of hemp goods, we have to import it from other countries like Canada, China and Europe, thanks to Harry J. Anslinger and all our presidents who have never rescinded its illegal status. Did anyone say missing out on billions of dollars of income? It actually looked like President Obama was going to rectify that situation with the legalization of hemp in the Farm Bill of 2014. That turned out to be very disappointing since that bill allowed for "the growing of small quantities of hemp for research purposes or pilot programs." What the hell do we need to research it for??? Who needs a pilot program? We already consume huge quantities of the stuff. So, now we have 29 states that have each set up "hemp research or pilot programs." OMG... could this be more excruciatingly slow progress?



Kentucky farmers are looking to replace tobacco with hemp

Anywho, a Colorado farmer decided that he was going to buy some hemp seeds and plant them, which he did. He waited for the DEA to come and bust him...but to his utter surprise, they didn't come. And so, he became the first US farmer, since 1940, to plant and harvest industrial hemp. He had researched Canadian hemp production and when he realized that he could make $300 an acre for hemp vs $40 an acre for wheat, he was all in.

He has since become a hemp farming advocate on the state and federal levels. He started with 60 acres, kept some of the seeds and is currently up to 520 acres. Eventually, he could be looking at $1,800 per acre of hemp. This should be the most exciting news ever for cash strapped farmers in this country. But, does anybody even know about it or care?

What's the big whoop about hemp, you may well ask? You can use the entire, and I mean, entire plant. From the hemp base to the tip of the leaves, all of the plant has harvest purposes due to its fibrous nature. The seeds can be eaten or pressed for oil extraction. The stalk fiber is used in paper, textiles, clothing, construction and health products. Even the root can be processed into a lotion ingredient. In addition, hemp is an excellent phytoremediation crop—helping clean polluted soils.

Here's the even more stupid thing. The hemp food and baby care products market is already a multi-million dollar industry in the US, all based on imports. The sky is the limit if and when American farmers are able to legally grow hemp and bypass imports.

Eric Steenstra, executive director of the Hemp Industries Association, believes once hemp receives the full legal nod, it will emerge as a niche crop and mature into a major earner for producers. Farmers consistently ask Steenstra why hemp cultivation is still illegal in so many states. “It makes no sense to farmers and I tell them to call or send emails to their senators and reps. Online, they can go to www.votehemp.com and get involved,” he says.

I hope I have piqued your interest, dear readers, in learning more about hemp. If I have and you are as excited about it as I am, PUHLEEZE get involved and contact your elected officials about urging them to federally legalize hemp. While you are talking to them, do me a favor?....ask them to federally legalize cannabis, as well. K?

Source: AgWeb.com Chris Bennett, July 23, 2016

Thanks for reading. I hope you will contact your elected officials and urge them to legalize hemp for more than research and pilot programs.

If you enjoy my rantings and ravings and don't want to miss a single new post, please sign up for a subscription. It's really easy. Here's how...

Type your email address in the box and click the "create subscription" button. My list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.





Be sure to LIKE my Facebook Fan Page and follow me on Twitter