WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Hemp Industries Association (HIA) and Vote Hemp are excited to announce that the 2nd Annual

Hemp History Week
will be held May 2-8, 2011. As a national grassroots education campaign
designed to renew strong support for hemp farming in the U.S.,

Hemp History Week
will feature events in cities and towns all over the country. The
campaign will also feature a day of action and an online petition drive
to encourage the Obama administration and Congress to change federal
policy and allow American farmers to once again grow industrial hemp.

“During
a time of economic distress, we need to be encouraging American
enterprise and American job creation. It simply doesn’t make sense to
restrict a viable industry because of unfounded fears. There are many
success stories in my district about companies who use or sell hemp
products, and I don’t believe we should be limiting their potential. The

Hemp History Week campaign is a great opportunity to
educate other elected officials and the American public about the
tremendous benefits that the ability to grow hemp in America will
bring,” explains Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon).

The 2011
campaign will promote the theme of “Hemp for Health and Sustainability”
and has attracted endorsements from physician Dr. Andrew Weil, actress
and author Alicia Silverstone, TV personality and consumer advocate Phil
Lempert, registered dietician Ashley Koff, Ironman triathlete and
nutrition expert Brendan Brazier and holistic health counselor Alexandra
Jamieson. This year’s effort seeks to build on the inaugural campaign
held in May of last year, which mobilized supporters of hemp farming
nationwide, including hundreds of volunteers who organized around 200
events in thirty-two states, and generated tens of thousands of letters
and postcards to the President and Attorney General in support of hemp
farming. Volunteers are being called upon once again to organize events
in 2011, with specific details about those planned events to be
announced in early April.

“Through

Hemp History Week 2011,
we will continue to build support for a federal policy change, while
celebrating America’s rich history with the crop,” says Eric Steenstra,
President of Vote Hemp. “Allowing American farmers to grow hemp will
promote sustainable agriculture in the U.S. by supporting local farming,
creating new jobs and ultimately fueling the economy,” explains
Steenstra.

Hundreds of natural product retail outlets across the country have signed up to participate in

Hemp History Week
through promotions and in-store events. Hemp product promotions in
retail stores will increase from 125 stores last year to over 400 stores
this year, including most Whole Foods Market locations in the U.S.

A
renewable resource offering a long list of health and nutritional
benefits, hemp is one of the fastest-growing categories in the natural
foods industry. Hemp is a rich source of omega-3 and omega-6 essential
fatty acids (EFAs), providing super omega stearidonic acid (SDA) and
gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), highly-digestible protein and
naturally-occurring vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin E and iron,
while being a good source of dietary fiber. It is a complete protein,
containing all 10 essential amino acids, with no enzyme inhibitors,
making it more digestible by the human body. Hemp seeds are also
gluten-free.

Hemp History Week is made possible by
the support of leading natural product brands that are known for
manufacturing the highest-quality hemp products. Hemp can be used in a
wide variety of products, including food, cosmetics, clothing, building
materials, auto parts and many more. Sponsors of

Hemp History Week include
Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, French Meadow Bakery, Living Harvest Foods,
Manitoba Harvest, Merry Hempsters, Nature’s Path Foods, Nutiva and
Sequel Naturals. Sustainable hemp seed, fiber and oil are also used by
major companies such as Ford Motors, Patagonia and The Body Shop.

Arran
Stephens, founder of Nature’s Path Foods, North America’s top-selling
independent organic cereal company, says “We believe our products
exemplify all of the goodness that hemp has to offer as a nutritious,
gluten-free, non-GMO superfood. Nature’s Path is proud to have been part
of the growth of the hemp industry since the beginning. This May, we
look forward to celebrating America’s rich history with hemp farming,
while educating consumers about the benefits of hemp foods.”

Other
U.S. hemp manufacturers have been relentless in their struggle for the
right to buy hemp from U.S. farmers. “For nearly ten years, the Bronner
family has financially supported efforts to lift the ban on non-drug
industrial hemp farming because it is an environmentally-sustainable
crop,” states David Bronner, President of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, the
top-selling brand of natural soap in the U.S. “Despite our efforts, we
are forced to continue purchasing the twenty tons of hemp oil that we
use annually from Canada. This is a lost opportunity for American
farmers and businesses, which is becoming more absurd and outrageous
with each growing season that passes.”

The HIA estimates that
U.S. retail sales of hemp products exceeded $400 million in 2010, yet
American companies making hemp products have no choice but to import
their raw materials, due to the federal government’s ban on hemp
farming. While demand for hemp products continues to rise, it is
becoming a challenge for Canadian growers and processors, the primary
suppliers of hemp seed and oil to the U.S. market, to keep up and meet
that demand.

“Nutiva’s sales have grown at an annual rate of 41%
since 2006. In 2009 and 2010, we were named by Inc. Magazine as one of
the fastest-growing businesses in America,” says John W. Roulac, founder
and CEO of Nutiva. “By allowing U.S. farmers to grow and sell hemp
seed, it will help the entire industry to meet the growing demand for
hemp products.”

To date, seventeen states have passed pro-hemp
legislation, and six states (Maine, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon,
Vermont and West Virginia) have already authorized the licensing of
farmers to grow the crop. However, despite state authorization to grow
hemp, farmers in these states risk raids by federal agents if they plant
the crop, due to the failure of federal policy to distinguish oilseed
and fiber varieties of Cannabis (i.e., industrial hemp) from
psychoactive varieties. Meanwhile, the Canadian government recently
funneled nearly $1 million into their hemp industry, as they look to
increase production capacity and make even greater inroads into the
American market.

“My co-founders of Manitoba Harvest and I are
proud to have successfully petitioned our government to legalize hemp in
Canada over a decade ago. We are very appreciative of the Canadian
government’s support and hope that the U.S. government will see the
opportunities with industrial hemp as well,” says Mike Fata, co-founder
and CEO of Manitoba Harvest. “With consumer demand for hemp products
growing, why shouldn’t American farmers also be allowed to benefit from
this huge opportunity?”

For more information on

Hemp History Week

2011, please see the completely re-designed campaign Web site at: www.HempHistoryWeek.com.