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).

States Push to Legalize Hemp Cultivation by Cheryl Corley All Things Considered, 5/24/07 The crop known as "industrial hemp" may look like marijuana, but it has little in common with its illegal cousin. The plant, a non-narcotic version of cannabis, is valued for its fiber and oil. But there has been a virtual ban on farming industrial hemp in America for nearly 50 years, even though it is grown in other industrialized countries. Now a number of states, including North Dakota, are fighting to make hemp farming legal again. 5 :39 | LISTEN

How is industrial hemp used?

Versatility: Industrial hemp has thousands of uses: paper and textiles biodegradable plastics health food (seeds and oil are rich in EFAs!) fuel Sustainable agriculture: hemp requires little to no pesticides hemp replenishes soil with nutrients and nitrogen controls erosion of the topsoil and produces a lot of oxygen, considering how fast it grows. Eco-friendy benefits: Industrial hemp can replace potentially harmful products or commercial processes: such as tree paper processing, which uses bleaches and other toxic chemicals. hemp fiber paper allows re-forestation efforts to flourish! cosmetics and plastics, most of which are petroleum based and do not easily decompose

History 101: Once upon a time in the USA

During World War II, the US Government produced a film explaining the uses of hemp called Hemp for Victory. Farrmers were encouraged to grow hemp for cordage to replace Manila hemp previously obtained from Japanese-controlled areas. Please use the links we've provided to watch this video (13 minutes). True to the days of newsreel news, the film is a little dull, but worth one good look! As it was made by the US Government, the film is public domain and is freely available for download on the Internet. | Watch Video

Film makers Suree Towfighnia and Courtney Hermann set out to make a film about industrial hemp, then they met the White Plume family and learned their story and their federal court case. Our link gives you access to both the film trailer for Standing Silent Nation, a glimpse into the North Dakota White Plume case as well as the film makers' version of Hemp for Victory, a short documentary that informs, humors, and inspires! | Watch Video