Let's Change the H word

From what I hear, hemp has some terrific, sustainable qualities. If it was easier to grow then there would be more of it around, the price would drop and there could be major environmental benefits. Problem is that Hemp has a major problem...it's name! It's associated with hippies, deadheads and potheads. (none of which I have a problem with).

Most of the time you have heard about it it's been from some very non-suit type who is enthusiastically pushing to get it legalized "because it can save trees, replace cotton bla bla bla". This may all be true but you sense that the real reason they are pushing for it is simply to get pot legalized. And this duplicity makes it a much less compelling argument.

Hey, I think pot's great! (Never inhaled of course) but let's separate the issues that we are fighting for and consider how best to influence the people who can make this happen. We live in a shallow world and appearances unfortunately matter. If the hippies were the CEOs and leading politicians, fine. But they're not.

So, here's my proposal: Let's rebrand (rename!) Hemp in order to lose the connotations that harm its struggle to hit the mainstream. You've heard of Canola? What about Rape Seed? Same thing. Rape Seed clearly had some negative connotations so they up and changed the name. Why not Hemp? And while we're at it, how about dressing a little more "like the enemy" for those rallies, huh?