420 with CNW — How Congress Can Make Hemp Easier to Cultivate
Hemp's close relation to marijuana nearly doomed the versatile plant to obscurity. For those who don't know, industrial hemp is a member of the cannabis family, and it produces minimal amounts of THC, the cannabinoid that makes marijuana intoxicating. The nonpsychoactive plant has a plethora of applications ranging from textiles and construction to health and wellness, and it played a significant role in America's economy while the colonies were under British rule and after gaining independence. However, as the 1900s ended and the prohibitionist movement gained steam, hemp was lumped together with cannabis and eventually outlawed in the 1930s. It…