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States Push to Legalize Hemp Cultivation The crop known as "industrial hemp" may look like marijuana, but it has little in common with its illegal cousin. The plant, a non-narcotic version of cannabis, is valued for its fiber and oil. But there has been a virtual ban on farming industrial hemp in America for nearly 50 years, even though it is grown in other industrialized countries.

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States Push to Legalize Hemp Cultivation

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States Push to Legalize Hemp Cultivation

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The crop known as "industrial hemp" may look like marijuana, but it has little in common with its illegal cousin. The plant, a non-narcotic version of cannabis, is valued for its fiber and oil.

But there has been a virtual ban on farming industrial hemp in America for nearly 50 years, even though it is grown in other industrialized countries. Now a number of states, including North Dakota, are fighting to make hemp farming legal again.