The unofficial cannabis holiday, April 20, saw some great responses from both lawmakers and businesses alike. Ben and Jerry’s, the popular ice cream brand, used the day to bring awareness to the MORE Act previously in Congress. Others, like Representatives Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Barbara Lee (D-CA), and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) used the holiday for progress. These three Representatives wrote a letter to the director of the US Botanical Garden, located in Washington DC, to display hemp.
Hemp’s History
Before its regulation in the 1970s, hemp produced canvas material, rope, and cords on boats. The plant’s ancient history made it versatile and incredibly desirable. However, importing in the US became cheaper before hemp became a controlled plant. During World War II, the USDA launched a campaign called “Hemp for Victory.”
This campaign encouraged farmers to produce hemp for rope, chords, and parachutes for the war effort. More than a ton of hemp saw production for the war effort. Unfortunately, many citizens don’t know this happened. So they continue to look down on hemp as a positive corp for farmers and for the country. However, these Representatives are hoping to change that.
Botanical Garden Letter
The Representatives go into thorough details on the history of hemp as well as its current day importance.
“Hemp has a long history of cultivation in the U.S. Hemp was grown by most of the Founders, and in 2018, George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate harvested its first hemp crop since 1799. All ships in every war prior to World War II had ropes and sails made from hemp grown in the U.S. Until the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, which was found to be unconstitutional in 1969, hemp was a major agricultural commodity in the U.S.”
They continue on by saying:
“We understand that the display of the hemp plants would be the first time the Botanic Garden would display cannabis in its collection. As such, we want to note the legal and scientific distinction between cannabis classified as hemp and cannabis classified as marijuana. Hemp contains extraordinarily little tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, which is the intoxicating compound in marijuana. Hemp is legally required to contain no more than 0.3% THC and is therefore not intoxicating. As noted above, hemp (cannabis with no more than 0.3% THC) is fully legal and was removed from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) in the 2018 Farm Bill.”
Response
The Representatives are asking for a written response from the director of the Botanical Garden by May 4th. This will allow time for the Garden to gather plants for display and to add them into their collection. Or they could oppose the request, even though hemp is legalized thanks to the 2018 Farm Bill, as mentioned above.
Accepting hemp as a viable crop, not just for cannabinoids like Delta 8, is the first step to normalizing cannabis. Whether or not it’s classified as hemp or marijuana. By accepting the crop for its benefits as a whole, it’s a step closer to overall legalization.
You can read the full letter from the Representatives HERE.
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