Industrial hemp is non-psychoactive marijuana, grown for its fibers and oil. It is the most eco-friendly crop on the planet, and it is the most widely used plant in world history. Essentially a weed, hemp can be grown in virtually any type of soil, allowing farmers to reclaim overused land. According to our own government, hemp can produce four times as much pulp for paper as trees, given the same acreage. But, this industrial crop is illegal to grow in the United States because it would make life more difficult for law enforcement and the perceived need to keep psychoactive marijuana strictly forbidden.
Drug prohibition causes devastation abroad as well.
The U.S. government has actively pushed Colombia, as well as other South American countries, to use broad-spectrum herbicides against illegal drug crops. These pesticides are sprayed over poor communities in a humid climate, causing illness in people and wildlife. Local farmers then expand their coca and poppy cultivation deeper into the rainforest and causing more and more damage.