I am a believer in Hemp and the impact it can make in the global food crisis. There is no reason to make biofuel from food graind and seeds when we have hemp available. The crops grow anywhere, grow fast, have a multitude of uses, and will also help by the amount of CO2 that they consume.

Let's figure out how to raise awareness of this bountiful crop and how it can help. We need to seperate hemp and marijuana in the minds of the people....and as your article shows....and maybe that will help with your problem too!

Please go to my blog for further discussion of this topic

Woot! I love that our "waves of the future" are really just tried and true solutions that are centuries old :-)

Not only is the fiber of the plant good for textiles, etc, but the seeds are full of oil and protein. Ever hear of Hemp-o-line as a fuel? Check out this video from the "Cool Fuels" TV show...

http://science.discovery.com/fansites/coolfuel/videogallery/videogallery.html

The DEA think hemp fields will be full of "hidden" marijuana, so they outlaw growing hemp - is this correct? Currently, houses are full of hidden marijuana, but they are ok to build.

"The DEA think hemp fields will be full of "hidden" marijuana, so they outlaw growing hemp - is this correct? Currently, houses are full of hidden marijuana, but they are ok to build."

Good point, Anonymous. With that kind of logic, the DEA will legalize marijuana before it legalizes hemp. :-(

We need special interests as wealthy and powerful as those connected to big oil to influence our in-the-pocket political leaders.

I'm particularly interested in the application of hemp in skin and hair care products. Although it isn't new, there is definitely a push toward natural skin care made with hemp seed oil. As the richest source of EFAs, hemp oil has been found to assist in correcting problematic skin; typically, psoriasis, acne, and eczema.

Only time will tell if the "organic" movement will last but certainly "natural" is here to stay - people have had it with cheap synthetics and petroleum-by products in their personal care items. Hemp definitely has a home in natural skin care.

the DEA uses that for an excuse & also says it sends the "wrong message" (whatever that is I don't know) to our youth.

I guess environmentalism is the wrong message to send to our youth

but anyway medicinal cannabis won't grow inside a hemp field since hemp is planted so close together (see picture)

that medicinal plants would NOT get enough sun to produce strong medicine.

Hemp is one of the best natural materials for use in textiles and food, and can even be used for fuels, plastics, as a replacement to fiberglass and to make paper. We've known about the benefits of hemp for centuries now, but unfortunately it was the first victim of the modern corporate lobby effort, in the 1930s. Lumber, Alcohol, Cotton and Agricultural Fertilizer interests got involved to have it banned, claiming it 'promoted' cannabis, the "most violence causing drug in the history of mankind". Yup, those were their words. Pretty ironic considering the first two drafts of the Declaration of Independence were written on hemp paper, and the American Constitution was orignially printed on paper made from hemp.

With the anti-Hemp Lobby's creation of the "Reefer Madness" movie to scare people (actually funded by the Alcohol Lobby), it marked a detrimental precedent in the madness of pandering to corporate interests, all in the name of protecting profits some of which were being contributed to help fund election campaigns.

With the US now being the only developed nation in the world to continue to prohibit the agricultural production of Industrial Hemp, we're left to wonder when the real madness will end.

If you want to support the advancement of Industrial Hemp and technologies related to it, check out:
www.naturallyadvanced.com

Ive been a supporter of this movement since my teen yrs in the 1980's. I grew up on the Oregon coast. Its beautiful there. We took sunday drives up the coastline for hours and stopped at lookout points with our packed food.
That way of life is changing. So much so with gas prices that not only my kids in their teens and my grandkids will not be able to afford to do this. I want that to change. If the DEA would lift its iron clad jaws just a little to see these things are more important than the almighty dollar, we might have a at Hemp Bio-diesel and many other things like building materials and clothing and food.
We need this plant in our lives for many reasons. I believe that taking a step backwards will be taking the step forward our world needs.