We're 40% of the way to our goal of 2,500 donations by midnight! Help us catch up ⏩ Give Now

Hemp flag stokes industry hopes

Nancy Marshall-Genzer Jul 4, 2013
HTML EMBED:
COPY

Hemp flag stokes industry hopes

Nancy Marshall-Genzer Jul 4, 2013
HTML EMBED:
COPY

Today the American flag flying over the U.S. Capitol in Washington will be made of hemp — that non-narcotic variety of cannabis that, like pot, is illegal to grow under federal law. The high flying hemp flag is part of a big push to change that, particularly given hemp’s many industrial uses.

The flag is the brainchild of Colorado hemp advocate and farmer Michael Bowman. Bowman is lobbying Congress to follow Colorado’s lead, and legalize the production of hemp. He says the inspiration for the hemp flag hit him one day as he was walking into the Capitol.

“I looked up and saw the flag flying and I thought wait a minute,” he says. “What a symbol.” For Bowman, a symbol for legalizing a plant that was widely used by our colonial ancestors.

“Washington and Jefferson were prolific hemp growers,” he notes. Bowman says an early draft of the Declaration of Independence was written on hemp paper.

Eric Steenstra heads the Hemp Industries Association. He says now, you can’t grow hemp but you can buy lots of hemp products, like shirts, granola bars and even car parts.

“Literally millions of the cars on the road are driving around with hemp parts,” he explains. “More than 30 percent of the Mercedes line includes hemp door panels.”

But all that hemp was grown in other countries. Steenstra  says there are now two bills in Congress that would change that. 

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.