The Hemp Legalization Act

Sponsor: Max Cherry (D-NC)
Co-Sponsors: Ken Hollins (D-MN), Ross Wilder (D-TX), Zachary Wisniewski (D-WI), Leif Roberts (D-FL), Mike Redwood (D-MA), Tom Plawinski (D-CT), Norma Desmond (I-CA), Bertram Dalton (F-IL), Lillian Wood (R-LA), Kurt Garwood (R-MI), John Devlin (D-VA), and Alex Lindsay (R-PA) with Mr. Manuel, Mr. Hollins, Mr. Coniam, Mr. Palafox, Mr. Dollins, Mr. Rhine, Mr. Cole, Mr. Littwin, Mr. Spitzen, Mr. Thompson, Mr. Linde, Mr. Harrison, Mr. Martin, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Lundgren, Mr. Thiriot, and Mr. Forsyth .

A BILL

To repeal current laws prohibiting hemp farming, growth and cultivation for industrial purposes and laws prohibiting the production of products made from hemp within the U.S.

SECTION I. SHORT TITLE.

This bill may be cited as "The Hemp Legalization Act."

SECTION II. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:

(1) Hemp, despite popular myth, is not the same as marijuana and is not a drug.

(2) Hemp was originally criminalized in the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 along with marijuana under the false belief that the two are the same. The act was passed under the cover of propaganda competing industries that would have faced competition from hemp and falsehoods.

(3) From 1000 B.C. to 1889 A.D. hemp was the world's largest grown cash crop.

(4) 1767 you could be jailed in Virginia, if you were a farmer.

(5) Thomas Jefferson grew hemp and smuggled rare hemp seeds from Europe for American farmers. He said in 1804 "Hemp is of first necessity to the wealth and protection of the country."

(6) For the first 162 years of America's existence, marijuana was totally legal and hemp was a common crop.

(7) During its prohibition Americans knew that hemp was a common, useful, and harmless crop. However, though propaganda, the words marijuana and reefer were substituted for the word hemp which confused the public. The confused public did not know that Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 would destroy the hemp industry.

(8) During WWII the U.S. government temporarily re-legalized hemp cultivation so American farmers could grow it for the war effort. A video, Hemp for Victory, was produced by the government. The video, which portrayed the hemp plant in a positive light, educated farmers about growing hemp for the war effort.

(9) George Washington said in "Make the most you can of the Indian Hemp seed and sow it everywhere" in 1794.

(10) In a 1938 article of Popular Mechanics magazine, titled New Billion-Dollar Crop, hemp was referred to as a "'machine' that solves a problem more than 6,000 years old. This article highlighted the benefits of hemp and the positive effects it had on the economy of that period. The article refers to hemp as "the standard fiber of the world" and goes on to say "it has great tensile strength and durability.

(11) Hemp can be used to produce more than 5,000 textile products.

(12) Other then textile products, hemp can produce more then 25,000 products, including: light oil, paper, building materials, gas for your car, biodegradable grocery bags, pants, flour, glue, shoes, rope, oil, socks, tubberware, plastic, charcoal, incense, drywall, plywood and more.

(13) Hemp is an easy to grow crop and it can be grown in every state of the union, it also has a short growing season. The long roots of hemp penetrate and break the soil, leaving it in perfect condition.

(14) 10,000 acres of hemp will produce as much as 40,000 acres of average pulp land and one acre will produce as much fiber as 2 to 3 acres of cotton.

(15) Hemp is frost tolerant, softer and stronger then cotton and requires no herbicides or pesticides.

(16) Hemp is ready for harvesting only 120 days after it is planted and contains a protein that is more nutritious and more economical to produce than soybean protein.

(17) Until hemp's prohibition, all paper was made from hemp, including: newspapers, bibles, magazines, textbooks, etc.

(18) 70% of our natural forest have been destroyed since prohibition started in 1937 mostly to build houses and produce paper products.

(19) Making paper from an annual crop would help preserve the forests and the habitats found within.

(20) Paper made from hemp lasts many times longer than that made from trees, and it'd also a profitable alternative crop for farmers looking to remove the pressure from over production on their land.

(21) An acre of hemp will produce as much paper as 2 to 4 acres of trees and the quality of hemp paper is superior to that of tree-based paper.

(22) Hemp paper can be recycled 7 times, wood only 4 times.

(23) Hemp particle board may be up to 2 times stronger than wood particle board and it holds nails better.

(24) Hemp is a strong fiber that withstands heat, mildew, insects and is not damaged by light.

(25) Hemp particle board is stronger, lighter, longer lasting than wood pulp, acid-free and fire retardant.

(26) If hemp could be legally grown in the United States many family farms wouldn't have to sale an acre to new housing developments to make ends meet.

(27) Hemp farmers could produce 10 tons per acre in 90-120 days.

(28) Hemp can be grown in almost all climatic zones in the United States and would not compete with food crops for the most productive land, but rather be grown in rotation with food crops -- grown on marginal land where food crop productions isn't profitable; or grown in a new area where other crops are not profitable to grow at this time because of climate.

(29) Hemp seeds can be pressed into a nutritious oil which contains the highest amount of fatty acids in the plant kingdom.

(30) Essential oils are responsible for our immune system responses and clear the arteries of cholesterol and plaque.

(31) The oil from hemp seed can be ground and baked into cakes, breads and casseroles providing an excellent source of protein.

(32) Until its prohibition hemp seed was the world's number one wild and domestic bird seed, irds will pick hemp seeds out and eat them first from a pile of mixed seeds and it has been documented that birds in the wild live longer and breed more with hemp seed in their diet.

(33) In 1941, Henry Ford, the inventor of the automobile built a plastic car made of fibers from hemp and wheat straw

(34) Henry Ford is documented as saying: "Fuel made from hemp is much better then petrol fuels ... the future of fuels lies in fuel made from hemp."

(35) Fuel made from hemp is called Biofuel, a variety of ester-based oxygenated fuels made from hemp oil, other vegetable oils or animal fats.

(36) Hemp biofuel fuel can be produced domestically, is completely renewable, biodegradable and does not contribute to global warming.

(37) Hemp Biofuel reduces the health risks associated with petroleum diesel.

(38) Hemp Biofuel emissions showed decreased levels of PAH compounds which have been identified as potential cancer causing compounds.

(39) Biofuel, including that made from hemp, is the only fuel in the U.S. to complete Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) health testing, which is outlined under the Clean Air Act.

(40) The use of biofuel, including hemp biofuel, can prolong the life of engines because it is more lubricating then diesel fuel.

(41) Biofuel made from hemp is also safer to handle and transport because it is as biodegradable as sugar and has a flash point of about 300 degrees Fahrenheit compared with petrol fuel which has a flash point of 125 degrees. This means that 125 degrees could cause petrol fuel to unite, while it would take about 300 degrees for hemp biofuel to catch fire. This reduces the risks of fires during transport.

(42) Hemp biofuel also burn cleans and has no sulfur admissions, thus eliminating any chance of it causing acid rain, unlike petroleum

(43) Farming just 6% of the continental U.S. acreage with hemp would provide al of America's energy needs

(44) Legalizing hemp would have a huge positive impact for our farmers, especially tobacco farmers looking for replacement crops

(45) Legalizing hemp has large scale environmental benefits.

(46) Legalizing hemp could eliminate our dependence on trees for paper

(47) Legalizing hemp would create a new industry and new jobs.

(48) Legalizing hemp would allow it to be made into Biofuel, an alternative energy source, which could be produced domestically, would end our dependence on foreign oil and make us energy independent.

(49) Legalizing hemp would have a huge positive impact for our farmers, especially tobacco farmers looking for replacement crops

(50) The American farmer deserves the opportunity to compete in the future and hemp is the biggest opportunity since the tobacco plant.

SECTION III. LEGALIZATION OF HEMP

(1) All laws currently prohibiting hemp farming, growth and cultivation are hereby repealed.

(2) All laws prohibiting the production of products made from hemp within the U.S are hereby repealed.

SECTION IV: ENACTMENT

This bill shall take effect immediately upon passage.