Hemp, Hemp Hooray!

Star Nigro holds a poster in support of bringing back the hemp industry in the United States.

I can't say how long it's been since I've seen folks wearing Jefferson Airplane t-shirts, but I saw more than one at Albany's East Capital Park during Friday afternoon's Rally to end Cannabis Prohibition. You can listen to my radio report here.

For thousands of years, farmers planted and harvested hemp for its fiber, used in textiles and paper... Americans regarded hemp as a common, useful, and harmless crop--- until the late 1930s when it was caught up in a government anti-marijuana initiative--- just as it was on the verge of becoming a supercrop that proponents envisioned surpassing cotton in the United States. During the 1940s hemp was regulated as an agricultural crop. Now it is controlled by the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Star welcomes visitors

Industrial hemp production is increasing worldwide: Star told me there's a growing market for hemp seed because it's rich in healthy Omega-3 and Omega-6 oils. European countries use hemp fibers in clothing and as a replacement for fiberglass in automobiles. Hemp activists claim to have support from some lawmakers, but the only legislation that has been discussed involves the use of medical marijuana. Twelve states have legalized medical marijuana.