I wrote this for a proposal to a major company, but ultimately feel that my best poetry is wasted by being hidden away. The revolutionary articles of this country were written on sheepskin. The next revolution is written in electricity: Repeal Industrial Hemp Prohibition A primary step to reversing the damage caused by petroleum abuse is the repeal of the current prohibition of industrial hemp farming in the U.S.A. As Man battles Mother Nature, destroys, makes laws against her, will he suffer. We have destroyed untold billions of trees unnecessarily for paper. Trees are the lungs of our planet. In order to heal and reverse pervasive depletion of oxygen in our atmosphere there must be an agrarian movement towards crops that will not only filter carbon dioxide out of and expel luscious oxygen into our air but will do so readily while offering alternatives to current activities that pollute our environment further. In the late 1930s, a petro-chemical company persuasively had the laws changed in the United States of America to prohibit the cultivation of hemp. The plant was the only competition of a patented synthetic fiber called nylon. Prior to that hemp was used as the raw material for paper, rope and clothing. Around 1937, a machine was perfected that would have revolutionized the hemp industry much in the same way the gin did for cotton. That revolution was put on hold in order to fund the dreams of the Petroleum Age. Instead of manufacturing newspaper on hemp the major companies paid for petro-chemicals to process wood pulp. No longer would paint be processed with hemp-seed oil. The yearly harvest of a strong, sustainable crop was exchanged for the desolation of acre-upon-acre of trees expanding across the globe and reaching into the Earth’s ancient rainforests. Undiscovered species have been eradicated in order to graze cattle for our fast food… cattle that could easily have been fed with high protein food stuffs generated from hemp. Everything in the room you are sitting in that is made from petroleum-based plastic could be made from hemp. My automobile could be fueled by bio-diesel processed from hemp. The revitalization of the national agricultural economy. Decrease of air pollution. An alternative to petroleum dependence. A step back to nature to begin our healing. Ultimately we all benefit. We would be shifting our consciousness back in tune with the planet we live on. Every gallon of bio-diesel is not derived from petroleum. Every page printed on hemp is another tree that’s still breathing. High in Omega-3 oils, hemp will become a viable food source to contend with future needs. There is optimum benefit from this natural renewable, resource. 15 minute deadline: We are a nation at battle with our very nature. Until we align our thinking to be in harmony with our environment we will suffer. We have the opportunity to be champions in our current climate struggles and begin the healing that will be necessary for us to survive the next fifty years. This is the pivot point. I will measure our success in my ability to take a deep breath of clean air in five years. Certain states have begun to test the federal laws concerning this crop and must be supported in their efforts. Small parcels of land can be rented in the states that are beginning to allow the cultivation of hemp and be alternated with soy crops. The best example is a successful example. Small hemp farms turning a profit are the only way to change public perception. Farming can be viewed in the same light as franchise and in a relatively short span of time I foresee these sustainable farms cropping up on every corner of our agricultural nation. Capital for land, seed and water, and public relations is necessary. The movement has begun but needs to be promoted.