Legalizing Hemp Production

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Since there has been a lot of talk about legalizing marijuana, hemp has also found itself on the forefront of media attention. During the segment, Upfront on 88.1 KFCF, they had a guest by the name of Doug Fine. Doug is the author of Hemp Bound: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the Next Agricultural Revolution. He has become somewhat of an advocate for bringing back hemp into industrial production. In the segment he explained that we have a history of using hemp on positive ways, that our country would greatly benefit from growing it industrially and there aren’t any concerns of it leading to more marijuana production. While they were discussing the history, benefits and possible production of hemp, there were three things that stood out as possible exaggerations or misgiven facts.

First, the host, Brian Edwards-Tiekart, made a statement about hemp in his introduction of Doug Fine that didn’t seem factual. He claimed that the Declaration of Independence was written on paper made from hemp. Although, it is true that hemp has been used to make paper, that is not the case for the Declaration of Independence. Anyone who took history in high school (and paid attention) should know that the Declaration of Independence was not written on paper, hemp or not. It was actually written on parchment, which is animal skin and unless the animal was eating a lot of hemp, there was no hemp involved.

An article written by Steve Mount confirms that the Declaration of Independence was, in fact, written on parchment. “Urban legend is that the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and Bill of Rights were written on hemp paper, hemp being the industrial name for the fiber of the marijuana plant. For some reason, this "fact" is...

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...ys find the cracks in your case and magnify them. Do I believe that hemp should be industrially produced in the United States after hearing his argument? Someone would have to give me a full report with out any errors in it to convince me. Works Cited

UpFront. 88.1 KFCF, 28 May 2014. Radio.

Mount, Steve. “Constitutional FAQ Answer #145-The Constitution Online.” USConstitution.net. 16 August 2010. Web. 28 May 2014.

“Declaration of Independence Facts.” archives.gov. US National Archives and Records Administration. n.d. Web. 28 May 2014.

Hansen, Ray, Malinda Geisler. “Industrial Hemp Profile.” AgMRC.org. Iowa State University. August 2012. Web. 28 May 2014.

West, Ph.D., David. “Hemp and Marijuana: Myths & Realities.” naihc.org. North American Industrial Hemp Council. 27 February 1998. Web. 28 May 2014.

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