Hemp is a crop that is always up against obstacles. Although hemp is not marijuana, many people assume that the two are the same thing, making growing industrialized hemp — at least in the US — difficult. In Australia, many states are already able to commercially harvest hemp, but recently Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales, approved production of industrial hemp crops, taking just another step forward in the push towards harvesting crops more sustainable than cotton.

The truly weird thing is the amount of intense regulation surrounding hemp and its production, as well as consumption. For example, in the US we can eat hemp but not grow it. On Australia on the other hand, people can grow it but not eat it. For a crop that is pretty multi-purpose — it can be used for textiles, fiberglass, paper, skin care products, paints, etc. — this all seems rather ridiculous. Especially considering the fact that hemp requires less chemicals than more conventional crops like cotton, making it more environmentally friendly.

Farmers in New South Wales will no longer need to get Department of Health approval for their crops and the state government will be amending existing drug laws to “ensure that existing drug law enforcement is not compromised.” Good to know that eco-friendly farmers will no longer be charged with drug offenses.

[Via Treehugger]