The Wythe County Board of Supervisors made a mammoth decision on Tuesday January 22, 2013, they have solidly voted to petition Congress to pass and implement the Industrial Hemp Farming Act. The Act in question would permit individuals to apply for licensing in order to legally cultivate hemp in their state.

Jim Politis, chairman of the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors, is quite passionate about the hemp legalization movement and he is responsible for bringing Wythe County on board with the idea to aid in their efforts to convey this vital Act to the attention of Congress.

Unfortunately for the hemp activism crusaders, the federal government lumped cannabis hemp in with its medicinal and psychoactive cousin by passing the ill-famed Marihuana Tax Act of 1937. The hemp prohibition was additionally strengthened when former President Nixon enacted the Controlled Substance Act in 1970.

Efforts by the House and Senate to introduce the Industrial Hemp Farming Act in 2012 failed in Congress’ last session of the year.

Chairman Politis has made additional efforts to invite counties in the state of Virginia to join him in his campaign to no avail.

With the mindset of the nation seemingly shifting toward acceptance of medicinal and recreational cannabis use for adults and patients

in need, we can only hope that the multi-beneficial hemp plant will receive the long overdue attention it deserves from our country’s bureaucrats.

The prohibition of hemp is the reason I became an activist. It would be grand to be able to legally toke and cultivate cannabis on a recreational level, but prohibiting the cultivation and processing of hemp in the United States is a factual injustice to the citizens of this country. True freedom will ring only when we free the cannabis plant for industrial, recreational, medicinal and wellness purposes on a national level.

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