Most of the industrial hemp used in products made in the United States is imported from Canada.

Having already worked our way through soy, almond and rice milks, we decided to try a box of the Living Harvest Unsweetened Original Hempmilk at our local Whole Foods. Holy yum! When we poured it over some whole-grain cereal, we couldn’t believe how rich and creamy it tasted. What’s more, it contains an impressive amount of protein, vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids (lots of healthy omega-3’s and a small amount of omega-6’s). Sold, we started adding hemp milk to baked goods (banana bread), pasta sauces (for mac and cheese) and soups (creamy pumpkin), in lieu of high-fat dairy.

But get this: It’s illegal for American farmers to grow hemp commercially. That’s because industrial hemp gets categorized alongside its cousin, marijuana. Both plants come from the Cannabis sativa family, but industrial hemp — the kind used for food, beauty products and clothes — has virtually no THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. But the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) doesn’t make that distinction. So, although the DEA allows trade in the industrial hemp seed, our farmers can’t grow it. The result is that virtually all hemp products in America hail from Canada.

Lately, however, farmers, business owners, nutritionists and green consumers have been advocating for the legalization of industrial hemp in the United States. In addition to recognizing hemp’s fabulous taste and health benefits, supporters argue that industrial hemp is an earth-friendly crop. Wider use of industrial hemp could help the United States become less reliant on fossil fuels and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Hemp oil, for example, not only makes excellent body-care products, but could reduce petro-fuel use by replacing diesel oil. Hemp fibers make eco-friendly clothing, as well as nontoxic construction materials. It could also help save trees through its use as a sustainable paper-pulp source. For more information, visit the Hemp Industries Association on www.thehia.org.

What do you think? Should the growing of industrial hemp be legalized?

Photo credit: Jethro Loader

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