It is currently illegal to grow hemp anywhere in the United States without permission from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). All hemp products produced in the U.S. are made from imported material since there are currently no active federal licenses. In the U.S., activists have been trying to make hemp and the growing of it legalized for decades.
Why should growing hemp be legalized in the U.S.?
1. The global market for hemp consists of some 25,000 products, according to a report by the Congressional Research Service, including fabric, paper, rope, auto parts and home furnishings.
2. Hemp seed is an alternative protein source used in a variety of food and beverages, and can be pressed to make natural body oils, cosmetics and medicines.
3. The delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content of hemp is less than 1%, and in the varieties legally cultivated in the European Union and Canada must be less than 0.3%.
4. Hemp was an important crop in the U.S. before the anti-marijuana crusade in the 1930s. It could be again if leglized.
5. The dangers of growing industrial hemp are basically nonexistent.
6. Nine states have already approved the cultivation of hemp. None, however, have any active fields because of a refusal by the DEA to grant growing permits.
Congress' Senate Minority Leader recently signed on to legislation that would remove hemp from the federal government's list of Schedule 1 controlled substances and make it legal to cultivate the plant. Hopefully, it happens. Find out more in the source article, here: http://articles.latimes.com/2013/feb/25/opinion/la-ed-hemp-legalize-cultivation-congress-20130225
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