Hemp is one of the most versatile plants on earth. It can be made into so many things that I don’t know that there’s a complete list. I heard a number one time that hemp can be made into 25,000 different things from lotion to fuel to clothing. There is absolutely no reason why hemp should be illegal, considering that a person can’t get high from it. On the film Hempsters a hemp expert says that a person would have to smoke a hemp joint the size of a telephone pole in order to get high.
So why is hemp illegal in so many areas? Hemp was embraced for so many years, why is that not still the case? The first lady of Japan, Akie Abe, agrees and told a magazine in Japan recently that she wants to become a hemp farmer herself (when it’s legal). Per the Wall Street Journal:
Most recently, Ms. Abe raised eyebrows after telling a Japanese magazine that she has considered becoming a hemp farmer to help revive the traditional culture.
In an interview with Spa!, Ms. Abe was quoted as saying that she had become interested in hemp cultivation and considered applying for a permit to grow the plant after studying its history.
“Hemp is a plant of which all of its parts can be used effectively,” Ms. Abe is quoted as saying. “While it is not yet permitted in Japan, I think it can be put into great practical use for medical purposes as well.”
I think it’s safe to say that I’m now a fan of Akie Abe. Could you imagine if Michelle Obama came out and said that she wants to be a hemp farmer? That would be fantastic. I’m not familiar with how hemp reform would look in Japan, or what it would take. Hemp is a massive industry, despite it’s prohibition in many parts of the world. Prohibitions on hemp cultivation are eroding, and I hope that sooner than later the hemp industry will be allowed to operate unimpeded so that the world can benefit from such a versatile plant, as it did for so many centuries in the past.
