Hemp?

The DEA is an organization that does its job based on the idea that they are an agent of change for the better in this country. They believe that drugs pose a threat to the well- being of the citizens here in the U.S. and therefore they endeavor to eradicate these threats. Truly this makes them a very valuable organization as many of us have seen the detrimental effect that drugs can have on friends, family and people in general throughout the nation. The problem becomes when the organization loses sight of their mission, which in this case is to help.

Hemp, like marijuana, is a form of cannabis. It is a crop that has been grown for centuries around the world and has been called one of the most versatile crops ever grown. Hemp has served thousands of purposes including as clothing, paper, for plastics, food ect. Unfortunately the DEA makes no distinction between hemp and marijuana because they are both part of the cannabis family making it a schedule I controlled substance, such as cocaine. The kicker is hemp cannot be used to produce a high.

Hemp has been called integral to cutting our dependence upon oils, as well as other forms of un-renewable resources. As Canada and most other industrialized nations have begun to grow the crop, the United States remains without. In 1996 the American Farm Bureau voted to support reintroducing the crop into the U.S. Of course it was then blocked by the DEA and has met strict opposition from them since then.

If the DEA is supposed to help, why block a crop that is simply a family member to marijuana? Why block attempts to improve the economy and reliance on foreign goods?