May 18, 2010 – Industrial hemp advocates will talk for hours about the strength and versatility of hemp fibers, the health benefits of its seed and the injustice being done to the Oregon and U.S. economies because the crop isn’t being grown domestically.

Last summer, Oregon became one of 16 states to legalize the growing of industrial hemp, but federal regulations require would-be farmers to get a permit from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to grow the crop.

The movement to legalize industrial hemp is making a national push this week to call attention to the crop’s long history in the United States — hemp was grown on the current site of the Pentagon and was used to make military products during World War II.

Hemp History Week comes to Portland on Tuesday with an event at the Bridgeport brewery in the Pearl District, a building that used to house a hemp rope factory.

David Madera, cofounder of Hemp Technologies of Asheville, N.C., is importing hemp from Canada and Europe to manufacture a carbon-neutral building material called “hemcrete.” He is coming to Portland this week both to support the effort and to find a partner to build a hemcrete house in the Portland area.

“When I started looking at green building products, there was a lot of green-washing,” Madera said. “A lot of it was petroleum-based.”

Madera said hemcrete — hemp fibers combined with a lime-based binder — will continue to sequester carbon dioxide even after the building is built.

On the food side of the hemp business, Hans Fastre, CEO of Living Harvest Foods of Portland, said the legalization of hemp farming would increase his business’ gross margins by 10 percent.

Living Harvest, which makes hemp milk, foods and supplements, has a steadily growing business; revenue has jumped from $3 million in 2007 to $5 million last year. But Fastre said that a federal law requires his company to make sure any imported hemp does not include “viable” seeds or seeds that could be planted. The process of making sure the seed can’t sprout adds an extra logistical hoop for the company to jump through.

“Today, our Canadian counterparts are not forced to go through this expensive step and it puts us at a significant disadvantage,” Fastre said. “Local hemp farming would change our business dynamics and would result in cheaper products on the shelves.”

Lisa Sedlar, president of New Seasons Market, said sales of hemp products are up around 23 percent year-over-year among the chain’s nine stores.

“I really can’t think of a more versatile crop,” Sedlar said. “We’re supporting legalizing the growth of industrial hemp primarily because it’s good for the health of the people, the land and the regional economy.”

Sedlar said that hemp doesn’t require the pesticides of other industrial crops.

But a 1998 article on the topic by now-deceased research scientist and professor at Oregon State University, Daryl T. Ehrensing, concluded that industrial hemp may not be a miracle crop for Oregon. Without irrigation, the crop is unlikely to thrive in Oregon’s dry summers, Ehrensing concluded, and without the subsidies made available to hemp farmers in some European countries, the crop would be unlikely to pencil out for Northwestern farmers.

Still, hemp advocates argue that they just want to give farmers the option.

“This is the first time we’ve done a unified national campaign about hemp,” said Christina Volgyesi, the Portland-based project manager for the Hemp History Week campaign. “We just want farmers to be able to grow industrial hemp again.”  Source.

January 6, 2009 – When people hear hemp they immediately think hippies and bongs and the apocalypse. Well, some people think that–mostly the uninformed. Fortunately, U.S. states are starting to abandon antiquated assumptions about hemp, and instead, are starting to realize it as a legitimate and budding industry with great potential to not just create jobs, but lessen the load on the environment by saving trees. Oregon and Vermont have both taken the plunge into legalizing the plant, and in these times when new industries are needed, it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to start placing bets on the next state to see hemp as more than the thing hippies weave into necklaces.

Hemp, the non-euphoria inducing strain of the Cannabis plant, is a useful resource that despite being a growing industry in over 30 countries such as Canada, New Zealand, and Australia is still illegal to produce in the United States–it instead must be imported at a cost that is certainly higher than the cost of growing it in America.
Hemp can make high-quality paper, rope, and clothing in addition to nutritional supplements and fuel–hemp-based biofuel is one of the few biofuels that can be used in unmodified diesel engines. The American flag Betsy Ross stitched was made of hemp canvas. The Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights were drafted on hemp paper. Hemp was considered a miracle plant by the United States’ founding fathers, a majority of whom cultivated it.

Given the current economic situation in the U.S., as well as the prevalence of industrial hemp in other nations, the benefits of legalizing hemp for cultivation are immense. A common argument against hemp is that there isn’t enough farmland to handle the amount needed for it to be effective. However, if we look at the situation in regards to corn being grown for biofuel in addition to alternative farming practices such as vertical farming, it is easy to see the claim is invalid.

According to an article in the Washington Post, “If every one of the 70 million acres on which corn was grown in 2006 was used for ethanol, the amount produced would displace only 12 percent of the U.S. gasoline market.” Since corn is a major resource in regards to food supply, it makes little sense to increase the demand on corn while diminishing the supply.

Hemp offers a means to relieve the burden while lowering food costs in the process. Roughly 6% of United States land area is needed to grow the amount of hemp that can meet the current demand for oil and gas without adding any net carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. Furthermore, hemp used for biofuel requires the least specialized processing and growing compared to other biofuels.

Additionally, using hemp as an alternative to timber in regards to paper products will help preserve forests, which are easy to cut down but take hundreds of years to replace. Hemp is a plant that has a quick turnaround and can be grown nearly anywhere, producing more pulp per acre than timber. By preserving forest areas through the use of hemp, combating global warming will become easier as there are more trees to filter excess carbon dioxide.

Many health products utilize hemp seed oil as it has the highest concentration of essential fatty acids and is second to soybeans in regards to protein; it is a solid source for dietary fiber and is high in B-vitamins. Since it is not illegal to import products that contain hemp, hempseed-based products are available in the United States, but, due to the cost of importing, are more expensive than if they were domestically produced.

One of the main reasons the cultivation of hemp remains illegal is because of an illogical fear based on its relation to the Cannabis plant, which also produces the mild psychoactive drug, marijuana. When looking at the history of how marijuana and hemp became illegal it is hard to deny that the fear of bankruptcy and racism were the driving forces behind it. Hemp’s prominence and nylon’s invention, as well as concerns from the timber industry, led to a propaganda campaign, which succeeded in demonizing the plant and leading to its illegalization. In hindsight of history, it becomes apparent that the claims made against the drug during the 1930s were grossly exaggerated.

Given the possibilities of hemp it would be incredibly ignorant to continue the opposition towards industrial hemp, especially in these dire economic times. There’s an old cliché saying that if we don’t learn from history we are bound to repeat it. In the case of hemp, history is the greatest argument for changing our policy regarding hemp as well as the cultural views surrounding it.

Sources:

“Hemp4Fuel.com: Why Hemp?”

“HIA: Resources: Politics & Activism: Legislation

Industrial Hemp Information and Advocacy

Corn Can’t Solve Our Problem

More Information on Hemp:

Hemp Facts
The Case for Hemp in America
The Versatility of the Incredible Hemp Plant and How It Can Help Create a More Sustainable Future
Why can’t we grow hemp in America?