Journal of Industrial Hemp, Vol. 13(2) 2008 Available online at http://www.haworthpress.com © 2008 by The Haworth Press. All rights reserved. doi:10.1080/15377880802391308 157 WJIH 1537-7881 1537-789X Journal of Industrial Hemp, Vol. 13, No. 2, August 2008: pp. 1–22 Journal of Industrial Hemp Environmental Costs of Hemp Prohibition in the United States Skaidra Smith-Heisters Journal of Industrial HEMP Skaidra Smith-Heisters ABSTRACT. This article seeks to add to the discussion about hemp prohibition in the United States by comparing the environmental perfor- mance of industrial hemp relative to its substitutes in a few key industrial applications. The life cycle environmental performance of industrial hemp products is of particular interest because environmental inefficiencies often impose costs on society as a whole, and additionally, the government has initiated a large number of programs intended both to reduce pollution and to increase production of bio-based industrial feedstocks. The positive attributes of industrial hemp are considered here in the context of counter- vailing attributes. KEYWORDS. Hemp, environment, prohibition, regulation, United States INTRODUCTION In the United States, the cultivation of Cannabis sativa has been perceived to be so essential to national security that at times the govern- ment has mandated that farmers grow it, while at other times—including the present—the government has strictly prohibited it. Regulation of Cannabis sativa in the United States is complicated by the fact that the law fails to distinguish between two varieties of the plant with very different Skaidra Smith-Heisters is a policy analyst at Reason Foundation, 3415 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Suite 400, Los Angeles, CA 90034 (E-mail: skaidra@ reason.org). Address correspondence to: Skaidra Smith-Heisters at the above address.