Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2005

A bill was just introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, sponsored by five Democrats and one Republican, to amend the Controlled Substances Act to exclude industrial hemp from the definition of marijuana and allow cultivation of industrial hemp as a commercial product in the U.S. If this bill is passed, it would allow individual states exclusive authority to regulate growing and processing of industrial hemp. Anyone familiar with the potential uses and benefits of industrial hemp knows how important this is. Hemp has the potential to revolutionize textiles, feedstocks, and construction, as well as providing substantial reduction in pollution and less reliance on FOSSIL FUEL. The list goes on and on.

Hemp is not marijuana. Marijuana is grown for its unpollinated female flowers. Hemp is grown for its fibrous stems and stalks and the oil from seeds. Marijuana plants are bushy and leafy. Hemp plants are tall and straight with minimal leaves. Actually, widespread cultivation of industrial hemp is a marijuana grower's nightmare. If you're trying to grow high-grade sinsemilla and there's industrial hemp growing all over the place pollinating your female plants, you've got big problems.

Hemp cultivation could literally be a lifesaver to farmers in the U.S.