By ingesting a tablespoon of hempseed oil daily, a person can lessen the effects of such maladies as high blood pressure, blood clotting, HIV and other auto-immune disorders as well as providing relief from arthritis, diabetes, and the nausea from chemotherapy. Aside from preventing or assisting with many chronic diseases hemp oil is also used externally to rejuvenate cell growth and add luster to the skin. Hemp beauty products are also well known for their efficacy.

It is no mystery that hemp is possibly the most versatile plant known to humankind.

Cannabis Sativa, the Latin name for hemp, means, "the useful plant." "Make the most you can of the Indian hempseed and sow it everywhere," said George Washington, first president of the United States. Aside from its potential as a human health enhancer, the hemp plant can be grown and used to make paper, textiles, clothing, fuel, and building materials. Because it grows so quickly, up to 18ft. in 4 months, and its fibers are so strong, it could ostensibly replace our endangered trees as well as other precious natural resources for so many uses. However, it is widely theorized that, among other reasons, the petro-chemical industry emerging in the 1920s and '30s was threatened by the versatility of hemp in a time when America was bent on "so-called" modernization. So, hemp and marijuana, were lumped together and subsequently demonized by the authorities, with much support from companies like Dupont and the Hearst media dynasty. The reality is that hemp contains no tetrahydro-carbinol (THC), the intoxicating element of marijuana.

Growing hemp in the US is currently illegal,with the exception of small, controlled plots located in, just a few states. Hemp products are certainly available in the US but they are very expensive because they are imported from places like China, Eastern Europe, and Canada. No wonder Original Sources calls it Hemp I Scream. We all need to be screaming at our federal government to change its archaic, untruthful, unjust laws which list hemp as a Schedule I drug on the Controlled Substance Act. Why not put poppyseed right there with it? It contains .3% THC. Which is about as much as members of the nightshade family which includes eggplant, tomato, pepper, and potatoes. Should we outlaw these also?

Land of the overweight and home of the triple whopper; give us your tired, your poor, your hungry, and let them eat hempseed. It's okay to scream for Truth. By supporting hemp in New Mexico and beyond, you support the mission of a truly self-sustaining plant and planet. Industrial Hemp is the giver, the organic, freedomloving plant that can feed the Planet if allowed to grow. For future reference, here are a few hemp resources:

Take a walk to our new local hempstore: Simple Pleasures in Baca Plaza and talk to Cindy Fugman, owner. Ask a local bookstore to order The Hemp Cookbook: From Seed to Shining Seed by Todd Dalotto and The Hempseed Cookbook by Carol Miller and Don Wirtshafter, and Natural Health, Natural Medicine, by Andrew Weil, MD.

Go to www.taoshemp.com (Gotta plant my own seed) www.hia.org and www.votehemp.com as resources on the overall strategies of legalizing hemp.