Hemp industry leaders throw their support behind Amendment 64
Hemp industry leaders throw their support behind Amendment 64
UPDATE: Hemp industry leaders' showing of support for the campaign was covered by the Associated Press, The Huffington Post, Westword, and the Colorado Independent, among others.
------
National leaders from the industrial hemp industry joined the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol at a news conference today where they expressed support for Amendment 64. Among them was David Bronner of Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps, the nation's best-selling natural soap, who announced that he would be donating $50,000 to the campaign. Joining Bronner were Eric Steenstra, president of Vote Hemp, the nation's leading industrial hemp advocacy group, and Adam Dunn, owner of Hemp HoodLamb, a prominent hemp apparel company with a retail outlet in Denver.
David Bronner also sent the following message to campaign supporters today, letting them know he is getting behind the initiative and encouraging them to join him in making a donation.
Fellow Amendment 64 supporter,
Over the course of this campaign, you'll hear a lot about how marijuana is safer than alcohol, and how regulating marijuana will bring in critical tax revenue while freeing up law enforcement resources. This is all true, and it's extremely important that Coloradans know these things before voting on Amendment 64 in November.
But the biggest reason I support Amendment 64 is because it would unlock the potential for industrial hemp to bolster the Colorado economy. Amendment 64 not only regulates marijuana like alcohol, but also directs the general assembly to regulate the cultivation, processing, and sale of industrial hemp.
Will you join me in financially supporting the campaign so that hemp can be grown in Colorado?
Hemp is useful for countless products, like food, clothing, and paper. Unlike marijuana, it is not intoxicating if ingested. And it is far friendlier to the environment than the current materials we use for similar purposes.
This week, in honor of Hemp History Week, the campaign is conducting a "Hemp for Victory" fundraising effort. The goal is to raise $64,000 for Amendment 64 in support of its industrial hemp provision.
Today, I'm proud to announce that my company, Dr. Bronner's Magical Soaps, is making a $50,000 contribution to the campaign to kick off the week. Can I count on you to chip in toward the remaining $14,000 and help us reach our goal?
Please make a donation of $5, $25, or $100 to Amendment 64's Hemp for Victory fund today!
Dr. Bronner's Magical Soaps' best-selling brand of natural soap, which is on track to generate over $50 million in revenue this year, has hemp oil as a key ingredient.
In fact, our company purchases twenty tons of hemp seed oil every year! Overall, the market for hemp fiber and seed products in the U.S. is $400 million annually. Sadly, because hemp has been caught up in this nation's irrational marijuana prohibition laws, not a penny of that money goes to farmers in the U.S.
Well, it's time to change that policy. And I want to help you make it happen.
Let's win this election and put profits where they belong -- in the hands of Americans, with Colorado farmers leading the way.
Sincerely,
David Bronner
CEO, Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps