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Why the tycoons fear hemp: From drugs to oil

fabric), hip packs, jewelry, luggage, purses, scarves, shawls, shoe laces, shoes, socks, ties, travel kits, wallets, watchbands

Animal Care
beds, bedding, feed, leashes & collars, treats

Apparel
baby clothes, bathrobes, dresses, jackets, jeans, lingerie, overalls, pants, shirts, shorts, skirts, suits, sweaters, tees

Body Care
hair conditioners, lip balms, lipsticks, lotions, massage oils, nutritional oils, salves, shampoos, soaps, tanning lotions



Foods
beer, breads, brownies, burgers, chips, chocolate bars, coffees, cookies, defatted hempseed meal, shelled hempseeds, dry mixes - cake, cookie, pancake & pizza dough, energy bars, flour, hummus, ice cream (non-dairy desserts), nut bars, nut-butter, oil, pasta, pretzels, protein powders, roasted seeds, salad dressings, spiced hemp seeds

Housewares
aprons, blankets, curtains, couch covers, dish cloths, furniture, hammocks, potholders, pillows, placemats, napkins, shower curtains, tablecloths, towels, washcloths

Paper
art papers, bond, bookmarks, books, cigarette papers, corrugated board, envelopes, invitations, journals, magazines, postcards, posters, stationery, writing pads, books, magazines, newsletters, research papers

Raw Hemp
bast fiber, batting (tow), long fiber (line or sliver) for industry & craft use, hurds (core), seed stock, seed grain

Sports Equipment
basketball nets, frisbees, hackie sacks, skateboards, snowboards, surfboards

Spun Hemp
twine, rope, yarn, webbing, thread

Textiles
hand-woven & mill-loomed fabrics: blended silks to canvas, various weights & textures, colors, patterns, stripes & plaids; knits; finishing services; non-woven matting (replacing fiberglass); carpets & rugs

Other
dolls, candles, coffee filters, drums, picture frames, teddy bears, toys'

Wow, look at all those possibilities!

Congress knew that they could never get away with outlawing a natural plant that grew in the dirt, so (with heavy lobbying by people who would soon form the petroleum/plastics industry) they found a clever way to make both industrial and recreational cannabis effectively illegal without outlawing them outright. In 1937 the US Congress passed the "Marihuana Tax Act," which meant that one had to have a special permit to grow cannabis so that it could be taxed by the government. Permits were issued to farmers all over the Midwest during World War II as part of the war effort, but when the war ended the permits were all allowed to expire, no new permits were issued and those caught growing cannabis were charged with some form of tax infraction or tax evasion. Immediately after World War II, the growth of suburban America exploded and the returning soldiers settled down to make families and stuff their suburban houses with untold numbers of plastic items and other petroleum derived products. As can be seen in the products list above, hemp posed a significant threat to market-share of many of the products that the petrol-barrons wanted to push, and so it was very convenient for hemp to be illegal. There was very little penalty for possession of cannabis until 1970 when the Controlled Substances Act was passed, and ever since then the penalty has been getting ever harsher.

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