Legalizing Weed: Four Documentaries About Industrial Hemp

While industrial hemp is often confused with marijuana, this crop contains minimal THC (the drug that creates the “high” of marijuana). Hemp can be used to make a wide variety of products, including textiles, plastics, and clothing.

Here are four documentaries about industrial hemp and how it’s linked with the legalizing weed movement.

1. "Bringing it Home" (2014)
Subtitled “Industrial Hemp, Healthy Houses, and a Greener Future for America,” this documentary explores the past, present, and future of industrial hemp in the U.S., as well as the reasons why such a beneficial crop is still illegal. The filmmakers rely on a variety of in-depth interviews with manufacturers who use hemp as well as farmers and policy advocates, including those who oppose legalization of the crop, according to the film's website.

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2. "The Hemp Revolution" (1995)
This documentary by director Andy Clarke is a fairly complete picture of the history of industrial hemp in the U.S., including cultivation, production, and use, according to IMDb. It provides a timeline of prohibition of the crop as well, from the initial laws banning its growth to the legalization of weed movement that began in the 1990s.

3. "Hemp War Conspiracy" (2011)
Based on the book "The Emperor Wears No Clothes," this documentary explores the possible reasons for prohibition of industrial hemp given the plant’s usefulness and its potential economic impact, according to Documentary Addict. The filmmaker, a pro-hemp activist, steers clear of the legalization of weed, and instead explores the myriad uses for hemp beyond its psychoactive properties.

4. "Standing Silent Nation" (2007)
This PBS documentary follows an extended Lakota family living on a reservation in South Dakota that began to grow and export industrial hemp as a means to survive in the harsh economic realities of their lives, PBS noted. After they made their investment, federal agents destroyed the legal crop. The makers of this documentary spent four years with the family for an in-depth look at the potential economic impact of industrial hemp.

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