Episode Details

The theme of this week's hemp podcast is education.

First we talk to economist Beau Whitney, who says the deliberate miseducation of lawmakers is causing a big and expensive headache in the fiber and grain sector. He said a concerted effort by Big Cannabis (aka the marijuana industry) is distorting the narrative around industrial hemp, confusing lawmakers, stifling competition, and is costing the fiber and grain sectors nearly $20 billion a year.

"Well-funded cannabis companies have access to legislators and policymakers, and as a result they have leveraged their connections and influence in order to narrowly define hemp as a drug, rather than looking at it as a commodity crop with industrial applications," Whitney said.

Then we talk to Eric Kleffner, a hemp grower and game developer who is working on a "play-to-earn" video game called Hemptopia. Players can earn cryptocurrency.

Inspired by his own experience as a hemp grower, Kleffner said, "I wanted to create a game to educate people about all the ins and outs and how hard it is to farm hemp, and all the uses of hemp as well."

And finally, we check in with Rachel Berry, hemp farmer, founder of the Illinois Hemp Growers Association, and the director of regional leaders for the U.S. Hemp Building Association.

Berry talks about her farm in Princeton, Illinois, her work with USHBA, and the various opportunities she has to educate the public on the uses of industrial hemp.

"I have been invited to join the Illinois Department of Agriculture in the Ag Tent at the State Fair this year," Berry said. "That's the second and third week of August and I am absolutely thrilled to be involved in that work."

Pennsylvania Hemp Summit https://pahempsummit.com/ Duped By Big Dope: How Big Cannabis' Attack On Hemp Has Cost The Fiber And Grain Industry $20 Billion A Year https://www.benzinga.com/markets/cannabis/22/07/27991342/duped-by-big-dope-how-big-cannabis-attack-on-hemp-has-cost-the-fiber-and-grain-industry-20-billi

Whitney Economics https://whitneyeconomics.com/ Hemptopia Play-to-Earn Video Game https://hempt.org/ Learn more about Hemptopia Crypto Farming Game https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Ggts6CerteKU1tAeqpC_Q Illinois Hemp Growers Association https://www.illinoishga.com/ U.S. Hemp Building Association https://ushba.org/ Hemp Education Events with Rachel Berry Illinois Cannabis Training Center 7/21: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cannabiz-resource-networking-night-tickets-327645465407 IL State Fair IDOA tent 8/ 15 - 21: https://www2.illinois.gov/statefair/ridesattractions/Pages/AgricultureTent.aspx Thank you to our sponsors IND HEMP https://indhemp.com/ Americhanvre Cast Hemp https://americhanvre.com/ Check out the Hempcrete Workshop in Washington State on the Beautiful Kitsap Peninsula https://www.svarajasth