Now That Weed Is Mostly Legal, Hemp Should Be Booming. But It’s Not

Hemp was going to save the world, or so the Baja hoodie-wearing hippies hanging out at California’s Venice Beach back in the ’80s would have it. The fast-growing, fibrous stalks could be used for insulation, rope, construction, and fabric—even the soft striped pullovers popular with surfers at the time. The founding fathers grew it, they claimed, and the first two iterations of the United States’ Constitution were drafted on hemp paper. The oil-rich seeds were good in granola, high in protein, and perfect for beauty products from shampoos to facial creams. When soaked and pressed, the seeds make a tasty milk, far creamier than soy. The plant was touted as a climate warrior as well: able to absorb massive amounts of CO2 out of the atmosphere and suck toxins from the soil while requiring little water, no pesticides or herbicides, and few fertilizers to flourish. It could be used as a substitute for fossil fuels and engineered into compostable plastics… read more >