"The last time the U.S. enjoyed a hemp revival was during World War II, when the country could no longer import cheap rope fiber from Asia. The effort, called Hemp for Victory, was promoted by the government even though plantings of hemp, a relative of marijuana, were tightly restricted.

More than a half-century later, there is a new push to reestablish the ancient crop. It is being led by a small group of enthusiastic activists and businesspeople who tout the health value of hemp-sourced fatty acids and proteins.

Hemp products, they emphasize, are nonpsychoactive. But, ironically, it’s changing attitudes about marijuana for medicinal and recreational use that have opened the door for industrial hemp to take root again."

Melody M. Bomgardner reports for Chemical & Engineering News November 23, 2015. [2]