Patagonia Makes a Strong Case for Legalizing Industrial Hemp Cultivation With 'Harvesting Liberty' Documentary
Hoping to bring a lucrative crop home.
On July 4, citizens will deliver a petition supporting the Industrial Hemp Farming Act which hopes to make it legal for American farmers to grow and harvest industrial hemp. Stateside, the lucrative crop has been lumped with marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act, making it extremely difficult for farmers to cultivate the crop legally without a DEA permit. As a result, the United States has outsourced much of its hemp production to China, to the tune of almost $500M USD in imports in the last year alone.
Patagonia has come out in support of the Industrial Hemp Farming Act with a short documentary called Harvesting Liberty that tells the story of The Growing Warriors Project started by U.S. veteran Michael Lewis, whose small farm in Kentucky is one of the first in America to privately farm hemp. In doing so, Lewis has provided his town with a reliable and stable crop while also helping vets readjust to life in the United States, providing steady income and a community.
You can check out the documentary above and be sure to sign the petition here.
