March 14, 2009: Two months into the Obama White House, I'm feeling the greater collective HOPE for our country to re-build, re-boot, re-unite ... the 're's are endless, aren't they? The economy of California would benefit GREATLY from growing hemp ... and local farmers in Vermont aand other states are forming an intention to organized action!

It is Hemp Diva's humble and informed opinion that NOW is the time that industrial hemp may actually be RE-LEGALIZEd ... perhaps within the first 18 months of Obama's presidency, we'll rejoice when farmers plant seeds to grow industrial hemp! Wahoo! If you wonder about what I mean by RE-legalize, scroll to the bottom of this page.

This website is a resource for you to get the FACTS about hemp, which has become a murky issue thanks to disinformation campaigns over the years, much generated by the FDA. So, be the free thinker you think you are by boning up on the facts about hemp and decide for yourself.

How do you make your pro-hemp voice more effective? Vote Hemp is a good org to hook up with and get informed and involved ... go to their website and sign up for their eNews and Alerts. Vote Hemp is currently reminding us to participate in the Change.gov effort to Educate the Office of the President-Elect on matters that concern us all. Here is a current VOTING opportunity for you ... I am posting a tinyurl below that should get you there ... but I also know that these voting opportunities come and go, as the Change.gov website is dynamic and as real time as can be: http://tinyurl.com/preview.php?num=9bo3xp

Remember, our economy would benefit quickly and permanantly by planting industrial hemp! Agriculture in the US would be revived as a good way to earn a living! There are over 25,000 legal good products that are derived from the humble hemp plant

Get the FACTS and you'll want to get active! LET THERE BE HEMP!

Love,
Hemp Diva

P.S. Scroll on down the page to GET THE FACTS about HEMP and view Hemp for Victory, a 15 minute b/w film made by the Federal gov when hemp was legal and farmers were urged by Uncle Sam to grow it ... that was during World War II

What is Hemp and why is it such a hot topic?

A child asked LTBH: "How come we can buy hemp milk at the grocery store, but it's not legal to grow hemp in our country?"

Take a look at a 3 minute video interview to learn why:

The film clip is 3 minutes Watch Video

James Woolsey, the former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, explains why marijuana and industrial hemp are different and shouldn't be lumped together by the federal government, and why he believes that growing industrial hemp should be legalized: What is the difference between hemp and marijuana? Why is it currently illegal to grow commercial hemp in the US? What would legalizing HEMP mean for American farms and rural America?

Here are a few GOOD REASONS to get HEMP back in the ground and working to pull our economy back into balance!

• Hemp is a tall, slender, fibrous plant similar to flax. Various parts of the plant are used in making textiles, paper, paints, clothing, plastics, cosmetics, foodstuffs, insulation, animal feed and other products.
• Hemp produces a much higher yield per acre (in plant and marketplace dollars) than do common substitutes such as cotton. In addition, hemp has an average growing cycle of only 100 days and leaves the soil virtually weed-free for the next planting. Hemp requires few pesticides.
• The hemp plant is currently harvested for commercial purposes in over 30 nations, including Canada, Japan and the European Union.
• Although it grows wild across much of America and presents no public health or safety threat, hemp is nevertheless routinely uprooted and destroyed by law enforcement.

How is industrial hemp used?

Versatility: Industrial hemp has thousands of uses: paper and textiles biodegradable plastics health food (seeds and oil are rich in EFAs!) fuel Sustainable agriculture: hemp requires little to no pesticides hemp replenishes soil with nutrients and nitrogen controls erosion of the topsoil and produces a lot of oxygen, considering how fast it grows. Eco-friendy benefits: Industrial hemp can replace potentially harmful products or commercial processes: such as tree paper processing, which uses bleaches and other toxic chemicals. hemp fiber paper allows re-forestation efforts to flourish! cosmetics and plastics, most of which are petroleum based and do not easily decompose

History 101: Once upon a time in the USA

During World War II, the US Government produced a film explaining the uses of hemp called Hemp for Victory. Farrmers were encouraged to grow hemp for cordage to replace Manila hemp previously obtained from Japanese-controlled areas. Please use the links we've provided to watch this video (13 minutes). True to the days of newsreel news, the film is a little dull, but worth one good look! As it was made by the US Government, the film is public domain and is freely available for download on the Internet. | Watch Video

Hemp Foods: Freedom. Choice. HEMP: Don't knock it if you haven't tried it! Learn about the nutritional value of HEMP!

The Hemp Industries Association: is a non-profit trade group representing hemp companies, researchers and supporters. We are at the forefront of the drive for fair and equal treatment of industrial hemp. Since 1992, the HIA has been dedicated to education, industry development, and the accelerated expansion of hemp world market supply and demand.

Vote Hemp is a national, single-issue, non-profit advocacy group founded in 2000 by members of the hemp industry to remove barriers to industrial hemp farming in the U.S. through education, legislation and advocacy.VH works to build grassroots support for hemp through voter education, registration and mobilization, as well as defend against any new laws, regulations or policies that would prohibit or restrict hemp trade.