Hemp: "It got mixed up with the marijuana," says Nader

Presidential candidate Ralph Nader says hemp can actually dilute the potency of marijuana if the two plants are grown in close proximity of one another. Nader pushes for legalization of hemp because it can be made into products such as automobile parts.(1:27)
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[Min Young]

It is time that hemp, which can be used for items ranging from paper products to carpets, from textiles to food oil, from construction material to paints, once again be made legal in the United States.
Industrial hemp also could serve as an environmentally sound substitute for other products:

Hemp has valuable qualities as clothing material. It takes color and absorbs moisture better than cotton, is "breathable" and extremely durable, softens when washed and needs little ironing. It can be blended with cotton to obtain the benefits of both fibers. About 30 percent of pesticides used in the United States are sprayed on cotton; hemp, by contrast, can be grown with little or no use of pesticides, herbicides or fungicides, thanks to its natural resistances.

Hemp can be used in building materials such as fiber-board.

Hemp contains cellulose, a basic building block of many plastics. Hemp could be the basis for a range of plastic products now made from petroleum products.

Hemp seed oil could be used for motor oil or as all-purpose lubricant. It may also work as a substitute for petroleum diesel.

Other nations, including the United Kingdom, Canada and Germany, already recognize the benefits of industrial hemp, and permit hemp cultivation within their borders. It is time the United States joined the ranks of advanced nations and permitted the domestic production of industrial hemp.