Industrial hemp could be an “economically viable alternative crop” for United States farmers, according to a white paper published by the Congressional Research Service this summer. The CRS is the nonpartisan research arm of the United States Congress.
In the July 2013 report, entitled “Hemp as an Agricultural Commodity,” the CRS acknowledges that the hemp plant is “genetically different” from cultivated cannabis and boasts that its components may be utilized in the production of thousands of products, including paper, carpeting, home furnishing, construction and insulation materials, auto parts, animal bedding, body care products and nutritional supplements.
The report concludes: “[T]he US market for hemp-based products has a highly dedicated and growing demand base, as indicated by recent US market and import data for hemp products and ingredients, as well as market trends for some natural foods and body care products. Given the existence of these small-scale, but profitable, niche markets for a wide array of industrial and consumer products, commercial hemp industry in the United States could provide opportunities as an economically viable alternative crop for some US growers.”