Advocacy is an essential portion of any industry — especially when you are working in a modern emerging industry.
We are living in a very competitive era, so any product or service attempting to be successful venture will inevitably encounter some challenges. Thus, organized hemp advocacy becomes a necessary element for establishing a respectable presence among our competitive economic marketplace.
Luckily, there have been certain individual advocates fighting for industrial hemp that have joined forces.
Top Hemp Advocacy Groups
Some people may claim that since the passing of the 2014 U.S. Agricultural Act (AKA the Farm Bill), we have seen a major increase in the number of national groups that are advocating for hemp. However, the majority of the pro-hemp organizations have been fighting for their cause for countless years, prior to any helpful government approval or legislative action.
Hemp Industries Association
Hemp Industries Association – photo courtesy of Facebook
The Hemp Industries Association (HIA) was founded in 1994. Their mission is to advance the hemp economy and educate the market for the benefit of it’s members, the public and the planet. HIA is a member-based national trade association.
Their Board of Directors consists of members from companies and firms like Hemp Ace International, Hemptopia, Herer Hemp, The
Ridge International Cannabis Consulting, DavidLaw, Hemp Road Trip, Anavii Market and EARTH Law, LLC.
Not to mention, on the HIA Board of Directors, there is even an appointee representing the U.S. Hemp Roundtable. You can find information on The U.S. Hemp Roundtable on hempsupporter.com and is another major national organization founded in 2017 that assists in lobbying to adopt better legislation for hemp.
Regardless, each new business entity that joins the Hemp Industries Association also increases the organization’s chances to function as a whole in order to take action on behalf of its individual members.
National Hemp Association
National Hemp Association – photo courtesy of Facebook
Another impressive organization that must be recognized is The National Hemp Association. This is a non-profit corporation that is focused on facilitating the growth of blossoming hemp industry and continue building an entire professional community.
The mission statement is to support the growth and development of all aspects of the industrial hemp industry. The National Hemp Association seeks to inform and educate the general public as well as policy makers. In addition, this organization stresses the importance of collaborating with other industry professionals in order to ensure there is a steady development of building a sensible regulatory framework around industrial hemp.
Since the United States of America accounts for 90% of the global marketplace for hemp products — approximately $620 million retail in the U.S. every year, showing 10% growth annually, the NHA recognizes the major role Industrial Hemp can essentially play in our future economy.
One of the most inspiring messages The National Hemp Association communicates is their devotion to revising the entire understanding of hemp as an “alternative crop” to becoming a “mainstream commodity.”
Vote Hemp
Vote Hemp – photo courtesy of Facebook
Vote Hemp has been a group working to help educate and inspire action since the year 2000. They are a national grassroots nonprofit organization based in the United States capital, Washington D.C. Advocating to bring back hemp farming in America has been their top priority driving
them forward.
For nearly 20 years, Vote Hemp as been maintaining their pledge to educate, advocate, defend and take action. Educating lawmakers, advocating for effective hemp policies, defending against commerce restrictions and always taking action to legalize hemp farming.
Vote Hemp educates people on the advantages of hemp farming and they work directly with grassroots advocates, lawmakers, businesses and farmers in order to carry out their goals. This group clarifies that “Our ultimate goal is having hemp grown on a commercial scale in the U.S. and for the crop to be able to be processed here as well.”
Vote Hemp is committed to a free market for hemp products and to changing any laws restricting hemp cultivation to allow American farmers to grow the crop once again, since hemp has literally been prohibited for over 70 years. What’s more, is the Vote Hemp Action Center, which includes options where you can find easy ways to contact legislators through sample letters.
On their website, it states, “Vote Hemp is a national nonprofit advocacy organization dedicated to a free market for industrial hemp, low-THC varieties of Cannabis and to changes in current law to allow U.S. farmers to grow the crop.”
Missions & Donations
While each group is uniquely one of a kind. Still, all of these specific organizations share nearly identical missions and preach the same overall message. One of the most fascinating similarities is that each advocacy group has a plethora of information about hemp and a nearly endless amount of resources to discover.
All you have to do is visit their websites to access these gems of knowledge. At the same time, another one of the most significant features belonging to every one of the organizations is that they all offer industrial hemp supporters the opportunity to help fund the fight.
You can donate to the cause that all of these impressive organizations are fighting for by visiting their web pages for donating.
