Northerners seeking a new fiber crop that grows well in their climate partner with southerners seeking a substitute for tobacco. Hemp still has a long way to go before we know if it can fulfill the hopes of its supporters. The industry is tiny. Hemp companies are woefully undercapitalized. Demand has far outstripped supply driving prices skyward.
Hemp fiber is more expensive than linen.
Hemp oil and hemp paper are far more expensive than their vegetable oil and fiber competitors. This situation will improve. Breeding programs promise to dramatically improve yields. Recent advances in harvesting and processing machinery offer equally dramatic cost reductions. The U.S. government needs to learn from its allies, stop treating hemp as a drug and begin viewing it as a potentially important new economic crop.