courtesy of Samantha Walsh
Audio By Carbonatix
Was it good for you? The first Colorado Hemp Week just ended on June 13, and to mark the occasion, Governor Jared Polis flew a flag made from hemp at the Colorado Capitol.
“We’re proud to be supporting the capacity of Colorado farmers through regulatory reform, workforce development, market expansion [and] international commercial outreach to find the opportunities for the hemp industry,” Polis said in a video shared with the hemp industry after declaring the first official Colorado Hemp Week. “My name is Jared Polis, and hemp: It’s everything.”
Hemp supporters were quick to salute the new annual celebration, as well as the flag-raising.
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Every week should be Colorado hemp week. A hemp flag? Hemp, hemp, hooray!
Adds Brendan:
I’ll drink to that.
Responds Rafael:
I will smoke to that.
Comments Toni:
That’s awesome. Let’s implement this in our dispensaries to get rid of all of that plastic!
Suggests Jennifer:
Hopefully it may educate some people in the benefits of using hemp and how it could help the environment…
Says Sonja:
First awesome thing Polis has ever done. He still sucks.
Replies Jasmine:
I’m baffled by this comment. He is one of the best governors in the country. I’m proud to be from Colorado for many reasons, and when he became governor my pride grew even more. I’m sorry you’ve missed the many, many positive things he’s done for us.
This isn’t the first time Polis has made arrangements to fly an American flag made of hemp fibers. On July 4, 2013, the then-congressman helped Colorado native Michael Bowman’s hemp flag fly over the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., despite the flag’s source material being federally illegal at the time.
And his support of the plant continues. Today, Colorado has “more than 60,000 outdoor acres and 15 million indoor square feet currently growing hemp,” according to Polis, which is “more than any other state.”
What do you think of Colorado’s hemp industry? The hemp flag? Post a comment or email your thoughts at marijuana@westword.com.