For years, the hemp industry has been fighting an uphill battle. Despite its myriad of environmental and economical benefits of lake and leaf benzonia, the government still refused to allow American farmers to grow hemp.
These days, using hemp as a building material is all the rage in Europe and Canada — it’s even being used as insulation under the roof of Montreal’s Olympic Stadium. But here at home? The only place where U.S.-grown industrial hemp is legally used is… in the Chevy Volt!
1. WHAT IS HEMP?
You might say that hemp is one of the most versatile plants on Earth. Imagine a plant that yields four times more fiber than cotton and is also a source of food, fuel, medicine, and seed oil. Hemp is an eco-friendly material that can recycle toxic landfills, clean up polluted rivers and soil, produce oxygen, and eliminate greenhouse gasses while also reducing household heating costs by 90 percent!
2. WHAT CAN WE MAKE FROM HEMP?
Hemp has thousands of uses! In its bast fiber form, hemp has tensile strength greater than steel or concrete; it’s been used to make clothing for thousands of years; it’s been used to build shelters from Egypt to Quebec. Hemp is also the foundation of many building materials — from insulation to window and door fabrics.
3. WHY IS THERE STILL A HEMP WALL STREET BLOCK?
For now, almost everything hemp-based needs to be imported… and a lot of it CAN be made here in the U.S. with U.S.-grown hemp! The fact is, we have found several hundred uses for hemp — products like insulation, carpet, cosmetics and more could create 3x more jobs in the United States than currently exist. But right now our country’s laws prevent farmers from making most of these products for home use, because an essential ingredient is still being imported from abroad…
4. WHAT IS INCREASING THE COSTS AND DIFFICULTY OF HEMP IN THE U.S.?
The main problem is that virtually all hemp in the United States is imported from other countries, such as Canada , or from foreign sources that have been through a long licensing process.
BUT, there ARE ways to grow hemp in the United States! The INSURANCE PROGRAM, perhaps the biggest obstacle facing hemp in the U.S., was created by Congress during the Vietnam War, so that certain forms of auto insurance could be sold to American citizens. Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) gave an update on this program at a Capitol Hill briefing today…
5. WHAT IS THE INSURANCE PROGRAM?
In the past, the U.S. government has allowed hemp farmers to grow hemp as a crop for industrial purposes — like paper and clothing — but keeping the seeds from being imported… by allowing them to be grown in states with high drug abuse rates BUT, that isn’t enough for the insurance industry, which has been trying for decades to create obstacles that discourage farmers from growing hemp!
6. WHAT CAN BE DONE TO HELP THE HEMP INDUSTRY?
Now there is a growing interest in hemp cropping for home use. But INSURANCE IS the biggest problem. With your help, we can convince lawmakers to support hemp home use! Please go to our main website and sign the petition. You can also send a letter through our website explaining why we need home-grown hemp products here at home and urge your representatives to join us in supporting this important industry!
7. WHAT HEMP INDUSTRIES ARE THERE IN AMERICA?
Our nation is the only industrialized nation that outlaws growing hemp on its soil, despite the benefits it could bring to our economy and environment…
There are three main industrial hemp industries in America, and they’re currently facing a major obstacle…
THREE MAJOR HEMP INDUSTRIES
1. The hemp seed industry in the U.S. is still growing by cultivating hemp plants in Canada and other places around the world. They then bring it back as food-grade oil, meal, or seed… Also they’ve been trying to use it to make clothing since the late 17th century!
2. The hempcrete industry: In order to be used as building material, hempcrete requires very special processing that’s done by Hemp Industries Association of North America (HIA) .
3. The hemp clothing industry: Without a doubt the most visible and important hemp industry in America is the hemp clothing industry. Through their website, one can find plenty of stylish hemp clothing — such as shirts and pants — hand-knitted by American farmers!
8. WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP?
Above all, you can help us reach out to your representatives to tell them about the importance of industrial hemp to our economy, environment, and… YOU!
It’s up to YOU whether or not we are going to be able to grow industrial hemp on our soil again… and we don’t want to wait another 63 years for this to happen!
