“HEMP


was probably the earliest plant


cultivated for textile fiber. Archaeologists found a remnant of hemp cloth in ancient Mesopotamia (currently Iran and Iraq) which dates back to 8,000 BC.”1


It is one


of the most versatile resources. “It can be refined into a variety of commercial items, including paper, textiles, clothing, biodegradable plastics, paint, insulation, biofuel, food, and animal feed.”2


Te Puritans are first


known to have cultivated hemp in New England in 1645.4


the Controlled Substances Act, there is no current legal delineation between marijuana and hemp—it all falls within the act’s definition of Cannabis sativa. Te Controlled Substances Act criminalizes the possession, growing, and use of Cannabis sativa without registration with the Drug Enforcement Administration for a Schedule 1 controlled substance.14 Although full-fledged hemp cultivation


Hemp grew


wild during the 1600s in the northeastern part of the U.S.3


Many of the U.S. founding


fathers cultivated hemp, including George Washington, Tomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, Zachary Taylor, and Franklin Pierce.5 That was the lay of the land until the 1930s, when competition from other textile industries spearheaded by DuPont6


lobbied the U.S. government


to curtail the production of hemp,7 resulting in the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937.8


Hemp is the fiber and seed


part of the Cannabis sativa L. plant, as opposed to the flower part of the plant, which is legally considered marijuana.9 “In principle, the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 stopped only the use of the plant as a recreational drug. Hemp, however, was impacted because the tax made it less economical to produce.10 “During World War II, imports of and other materials crucial for


hemp11


producing marine cordage, parachutes, and other military necessities became scarce. In response, the U.S. Department of Agriculture launched its ’Hemp for Victory’ program, encouraging farmers to plant hemp by giving out seeds and granting draſt deferments to those who would stay home and grow hemp.”12 Because of its relationship to marijuana,


hemp was made illegal to grow without a permit in the U.S. under the Controlled Substances Act,13


passed in 1970. Within www.datia.org


remains illegal at the federal level—the crop cannot be grown in a state that has not established a hemp program. Hemp programs began in 2014, when hemp production was authorized in the Agricultural Act of 2014 (aka “Farm Bill”), but growing hemp is limited to states that have created hemp pilot projects.15


Under


this 2014 law, each state was allowed to determine the size and form of these hemp research programs.16


Questions remain,


however, about the legality of hemp-based extracts like CBD. CBD can be extracted from the THC in a marijuana plant and also from hemp.17


“Hemp-derived cannabidiol


(CBD) is projected to be a billion-dollar market in just three years . . .18


CBD made


from hemp contains less than 0.3% THC, the psychoactive ingredient associated with marijuana and is oſten used to treat various medical conditions. It is sometimes called hemp oil and it is sold in most states and online. Tis makes the product more accessible than marijuana-derived CBD, which some consumers believe is the more effective version of CBD, but can only be sold where marijuana is legal.”19 Te 201520


and 2016 Appropriations Act21


(congressional spending bills) specifically forbade the federal government from spending any resources on going aſter these hemp growers under the laws that normally apply to hemp (and all forms of cannabis). In 2017, 34 states22


and 32 universities


have hemp-production pilot projects.23 “Hemp cultivation significantly expanded in the U.S. in 2017, with over double the number of acres planted in hemp compared


datia focus 39


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