Hemp seed oil is a common ingredient in skin, hair, and body care. It's high in essential omega fatty acids and proteins, replenishing moisture and repairing cell breakdown.

The certified organic hemp seed oil I use is imported from Canada because unlike Canada, Europe and China, it's illegal to grow hemp in the U.S. Hemp can also be used for food and textiles, among many other things, and there's no reason for its cultivation to be illegal.

So I was tickled when I saw this article about a recent protest at DEA headquarters with several farmers and David Bronner, president of Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps:

Activists Dig Into Symbolism in Effort To Legalize Hemp
by David Montgomery, the Washington Post

The author describes how the activists planted hemp seeds in the lawn in front of the DEA Museum before being arrested, then mentions the display of hemp products inside the museum. A sign reads, "In the 1600s hemp landed in the Americas where it was used to make rope, clothing, paper. Today hemp fibers are used in clothing and jewelry."

Famously, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew hemp, the Declaration of Independence was written on hemp paper, and in 1942, U.S. government overrode its own ban and distributed 400,000 pounds of hemp seed to U.S farmers so they could produce hemp fiber for the war effort. The U.S.D.A. made it mandatory for farmers to attend showings of the "Hemp For Victory" film, and farmers and their sons who agreed to grow hemp were exempted from military service, even though America was at war.

His conclusion? "Hemp, it turns out, has to do with so, so much".

Several state legislatures have approved industrial hemp farming and the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture has endorsed it, but growing this invaluable crop remains against federal drug laws.