4 ms·

Interesting that KY and NC seemed to have had more success investigating hemp than the much more progressive VT.

cronix 8y ago
KY was one of the major producers early on. Deep history there. > Historically, hemp production had made up a significant portion of antebellum Kentucky's economy. Before the American Civil War, many slaves worked on plantations producing hemp. > Hemp was used extensively by the United States during World War II to make uniforms, canvas, and rope. Much of the hemp used was cultivated in Kentucky and the Midwest. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemp#United_States_2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemp#United_States_2
- SEJeff 8y ago
  Additionally, one of the big cash crops of KY has been Tobacco, at least until the Fed started heavily subsidizing corn and penalizing farmers who grow too much tobacco. Tobacco looks very similar to marijuana and many farmers would have small bits of marijuana dispersed amongst several hundred acres of Tobacco. Source: born and raised in KY. Left to join the US Army and then work in LA and Chicago as a software engineer.
  - acpetrov 8y ago
    That's a cool life journey
  - chris123 8y ago
    Does not look similar other than they are both plants with green leaves.
    - paradoxparalax 8y ago
      that was my same thought too, if you ever saw a tobacco leaf and a Marijuana leaf. Even the green shade is pretty different. Now, the Castor Oil Plant[1], which is planted for it's oil, can be confused with marijuana from distance to the untrained eye. 1- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricinus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricinus
    - SEJeff 8y ago
      Looks similar in 200 acres of tobacco. I’ve seen it :)
mhuffman 8y ago
I think this is because of the tobacco farmers that no longer make money hand-over-fist they way they used to. Hemp has the same kind of high-income-to-low-work cred as tobacco, but times 20! They also still have all the equipment necessary for processing hemp as it is similar to processing tobacco.
- brodouevencode 8y ago
  That is a good point. Again showing that economic forces are typically stronger than political ones.

KY was one of the major producers early on. Deep history there. > Historically, hemp production had made up a significant portion of antebellum Kentucky's economy. Before the American Civil War, many slaves worked on plantations producing hemp. > Hemp was used extensively by the United States during World War II to make uniforms, canvas, and rope. Much of the hemp used was cultivated in Kentucky and the Midwest. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemp#United_States_2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemp#United_States_2

SEJeff 8y ago
Additionally, one of the big cash crops of KY has been Tobacco, at least until the Fed started heavily subsidizing corn and penalizing farmers who grow too much tobacco. Tobacco looks very similar to marijuana and many farmers would have small bits of marijuana dispersed amongst several hundred acres of Tobacco. Source: born and raised in KY. Left to join the US Army and then work in LA and Chicago as a software engineer.
- acpetrov 8y ago
  That's a cool life journey
- chris123 8y ago
  Does not look similar other than they are both plants with green leaves.
  - paradoxparalax 8y ago
    that was my same thought too, if you ever saw a tobacco leaf and a Marijuana leaf. Even the green shade is pretty different. Now, the Castor Oil Plant[1], which is planted for it's oil, can be confused with marijuana from distance to the untrained eye. 1- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricinus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricinus
  - SEJeff 8y ago
    Looks similar in 200 acres of tobacco. I’ve seen it :)

mhuffman 8y ago

I think this is because of the tobacco farmers that no longer make money hand-over-fist they way they used to. Hemp has the same kind of high-income-to-low-work cred as tobacco, but times 20! They also still have all the equipment necessary for processing hemp as it is similar to processing tobacco.

brodouevencode 8y ago
That is a good point. Again showing that economic forces are typically stronger than political ones.