For the last century, the United States had a complicated relationship with hemp. During the formative years of modern drug law, this once-common industrial crop became a legal liability for farmers. It even got outlawed – a case of guilt by association. Hemp is a member of the cannabis family, which got it lumped in with marijuana regulations during the 1930s, ’40s, and later. Even though the hemp species has no psychoactive effects, lazy legislation drawn under the guise of protecting the public effectively removed this plant from the nation’s fields for more than 50 years.
Efforts to re-legalize hemp seemed like an agri-political sideshow for decades, and entire generations of farmers grew up knowing little more about hemp than that it was 1) cannabis and 2) illegal to grow. But groups continued to advocate for the misunderstood plant, and about 10 years ago their message caught the attention of then-Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas. Embracing a crop so closely associated to marijuana came with inherent political risks, but those who defended it made a simple but convincing argument: This is a historical crop that our parents used to grow, it’s not a drug, and its legal status represents a classic example of misguided over-regulation.
During that time, hemp started making its resurgence in the marketplace. Fibers derived from the plant’s stalk were being used in everything from clothing to car parts, and its seeds and oil became popular ingredients in dietary and body care products. Hemp represented millions of dollars worth of sales, yet it was still illegal to grow in the United States.
That all changed in 2014 when the Farm Bill went into effect, as the legislation allows states, under some conditions, to grow hemp for research purposes. Republicans (many from Kentucky, a state that used to be a top hemp producer) led a push to have the crop decriminalized. Now, U.S. farmers find themselves behind the rest of the world in their understanding of hemp’s growing characteristics and in having a base of processors to buy their crops.
We talked to Eric Steenstra, executive director of the Hemp Industries Association and longtime board member of Vote Hemp, a 501(c)(4) lobby group that has been working to change hemp laws at the state and federal levels for 15 years. He explains the crop’s past, its industrial potential, and the beginnings of its new future in American agriculture.
U.S. Agriculture Outlook: Hemp was a very common crop in the United States through World War II. Why did it drop off?
Eric Steenstra: In 1937, when Congress passed the Marihuana [sic] Tax Act to regulate marijuana, they didn’t make a clear distinction between hemp and marijuana – just cannabis. If you wanted to grow hemp, you had to pay tax and get a marijuana producer’s tax stamp. It was a bit of stigma and an additional requirement, so a lot of farmers didn’t want to deal with that.
There was a push to grow hemp during World War II but not after it. The government didn’t promote it anymore, and it dropped off. And then in 1970, they passed the Controlled Substances Act, and hemp was completely thought of as marijuana. It didn’t matter [that it is a] different variety of plant; it was defined as [a] cannabis plant, so it was all considered to be marijuana according to law.
Can you please explain the difference between hemp and marijuana?
They are two different varieties of the same plant species. A rough analogy one might use: This is the difference between a Chihuahua and a St. Bernard. They are both dogs, but they are each unique animals with different characteristics.