by Monica Davey - NY Times 2007

OSNABROCK, N.D. —David C. Monson seems an improbable soul to find at the leading edge of a national movement to legalize growing hemp, a plant that shares a species name, a genus type and, in many circles, a reputation, with marijuana.

As Mr. Monson rolls past his wheat, barley and shimmering yellow fields of canola, he listens to Rush Limbaugh in his tractor. When he is not farming, he is the high school principal in nearby Edinburg, population 252. When he is not teaching, he is a Republican representative in Bismarck, the state capital, where his party dominates both houses of the legislature and the governor is a Republican.

Welcome! Get to know The Many Facets of Hemp!

What is Hemp and why is it such a hot topic?

The best place to read "at a glance" facts about industrial hemp is the North American Industrial Hemp Council website.

Below are just a few:

• Hemp is a tall, slender, fibrous plant similar to flax. Various parts of the plant are used in making textiles, paper, paints, clothing, plastics, cosmetics, foodstuffs, insulation, animal feed and other products.
• Hemp produces a much higher yield per acre (in plant and marketplace dollars) than do common substitutes such as cotton. In addition, hemp has an average growing cycle of only 100 days and leaves the soil virtually weed-free for the next planting. Hemp requires few pesticides.
• The hemp plant is currently harvested for commercial purposes in over 30 nations, including Canada, Japan and the European Union.
• Although it grows wild across much of America and presents no public health or safety threat, hemp is nevertheless routinely uprooted and destroyed by law enforcement.

A child asked LTBH: "How come we can buy hemp milk at the grocery store, but it's not legal to grow hemp in our country?"

Take a look at a 3 minute video interview to learn why:

The film clip is 3 minutes Watch Video

James Woolsey, the former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, explains why marijuana and industrial hemp are different and shouldn't be lumped together by the federal government, and why he believes that growing industrial hemp should be legalized: What is the difference between hemp and marijuana? Why is it currently illegal to grow commercial hemp in the US? What would legalizing HEMP mean for American farms and rural America?

Roots of current myth and disinformation - Botany 101: Hemp is a distinct variety of the plant species cannabis sativa L. that contains minimal (less than 1%) amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.

"Cannabis sativa (L. subsp. sativa var. sativa) is the variety grown for industrial use in Europe, Canada, and elsewhere. While C. sativa subsp. indica generally has poor fiber quality and is primarily used for production of recreational and medicinal drugs. The major difference is the amount of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) secreted: Strains of Cannabis approved for industrial hemp production produce only minute amounts of THC." (source: Wikipedia).

Hemp Foods: Freedom. Choice. HEMP: Don't knock it if you haven't tried it! Learn about the nutritional value of HEMP!

The Hemp Industries Association: is a non-profit trade group representing hemp companies, researchers and supporters. We are at the forefront of the drive for fair and equal treatment of industrial hemp. Since 1992, the HIA has been dedicated to education, industry development, and the accelerated expansion of hemp world market supply and demand.

Vote Hemp is a national, single-issue, non-profit advocacy group founded in 2000 by members of the hemp industry to remove barriers to industrial hemp farming in the U.S. through education, legislation and advocacy.VH works to build grassroots support for hemp through voter education, registration and mobilization, as well as defend against any new laws, regulations or policies that would prohibit or restrict hemp trade.