I don't care if they legalize pot or not, but I'm willing to rant about our lack of political will for an American hemp industry.

Hemp is made from the kind of marijuana that "don't getcha high". It is a weed, so growing it is as easy as it gets. It would be a multi-billion dollar industry involving fabric, rope, food, paper, building material, you name it.

We don't do it because A) cannabis of any form is illegal to grow, and B) several other powerful industry lobbies actively block efforts to introduce a new competitor. Well...make that an old competitor. Even George Washington grew hemp...it's a multipurpose commodity that we have foolishly associated with high-powered ganja. In a time when our economy is nearly crippled, why do we still turn our backs on an entire global industry that costs practically nothing to grow?

http://www.soundclick.com/MarkKaufman