Last month, the Hemp Industry Association (HIA) created a petition to allow American farmers to grow industrial hemp. Thanks to your support, this petition passed by collecting over 100,000 signatures within 30 days.
Where does hemp legality stand right now?
Industrial hemp used to be a common crop for American farmers. In fact, it used to be illegal for farmers in some states not to grow it. Crazy how things have changed, huh? As the law currently stands, thanks to the 2014 Farm Bill, hemp can only be grown by certain universities and programs with special approval but the plants can only be used for research purposes.
Companies like us must purchase industrial hemp oil from overseas. We source our hemp oil from Europe, but a lot of people source theirs from China as well. Between Europe, Canada and China, the U.S. imported over $600 million in hemp products in 2016.
Imagine all the new jobs
As we’ve come to learn in Trump’s administration, bringing jobs back to the U.S. has been a high priority. Legalizing hemp “should” be at the top of this list, as the opportunity for new jobs is extremely high. This gives us hope that a positive response will be received; and thanks to this successful petition, the White House must respond within 60 days!
Let’s take a moment to appreciate the huge amount of jobs that industrial hemp farming would bring to the U.S.
Products made with hemp
Every single part of the hemp plant is useful.
- Clothing
- Extremely nutritious foods and supplements
- Body care products
- Auto parts
- Construction materials (i.e. hempcrete)
- Biofuels
- Eco-friendly plastics
- Pet bedding and toys
- Much more…
If you’re unfamiliar with hemp, it’s a non-psychoactive plant from the cannabis family. There’s no recreational value to hemp because it doesn’t cause a “high.” Unfortunately, it’s often lumped together with marijuana, so U.S. farmers miss out on the profitable opportunity to grow it.
Lower costs for hemp products
Importing hemp oil is not cheap, as you might imagine. If companies were able to buy hemp domestically, we imagine the price tag on hemp products would drop significantly, making these amazing supplements more affordable. This is very important, as so many people rely on hemp oil for internal and external wellness purposes.
We’re anxiously waiting on the edge of our seats to see what happens. It’s sure to be a big year for hemp! Every single signature made a difference with this petition; we can’t thank you enough for your support.
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