The hemp foods and body care retail market in U.S. alone enjoyed 21 percent growth last year.
The nonprofit Hemp Industries Association said Thursday that retail sales of hemp food and body care products — like non-dairy milk, shelled seed, soaps and lotions — in the United States totaled $200 million in 2014.
Combined with sales of clothing, auto parts, building materials and other products, the total retail value of hemp products was estimated to be at least $620 million last year.
HIA says the sales data was obtained from natural and conventional retailers, excluding Whole Foods Market and Costco, who do not provide sales data — “and thus it underestimates actual sales by a factor of at least two and a half.”
Flickr: Mike Mozart
Support for hemp seems to be, well, growing.
HIA points out that in January The Industrial Hemp Farming Act was introduced in both the U.S. House and Senate.
“If passed, the bill would remove all federal restrictions on the cultivation of industrial hemp, and remove its classification as a Schedule 1 controlled substance,” HIA explains.
As of today, 21 states may grow hemp including California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii and Illinois.
Read Civil Beat’s related Community Voice, Year of Hope for Hemp.
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