About the Hemp Local Supply Chain Coalition
The Hemp LSC Coalition is comprised of local farmers, entrepreneurs, researchers, investors, advocates, and policy makers dedicated to building a just, sustainable, and locally-based industrial hemp industry in Pennsylvania, one which will bring greater prosperity to our communities and increases local self-reliance in basic needs.
We have establish individual coalitions to build specific local supply chains in each of the following basic needs:
Clothing and textile businesses and farms growing hemp for fiber are included in the Clothing & Textile Coalition.
Plant medicine businesses and farms growing hemp for medicinal use such as CBD are included in the Plant Medicine Coalition.
Hempcrete businesses and farms producing hemp for hempcrete will be listed in the Sustainable Building Material Coalition (in formation). Some hempcrete businesses are listed here under "Founding Hemp Coalition Members."
Local Food businesses and farms growing hemp for food, are included in the Local Food Coalition.
Background
Hemp is a miracle plant – cultivated by humans for over 10,000 years to make into a wide variety of useful products, including food, medicine, paper, textiles, clothing, shoes, biodegradable plastics, rope, insulation, building material, biofuel, and animal feed and bedding, to name a few. The Declaration of Independence was written on hemp, colonial ships used hemp sails, and Betsy Ross made the first US flag from hemp.
Hemp is a fast-growing plant, resistance to pests, disease and weeds and has a very high tolerance to drought. It is remarkable in carbon sequestration, and remediation and restoration of soil. It can be used to clear impurities out of wastewater, even to clean contaminants at the Chernobyl nuclear disaster site. Yet with all these uses and benefits, hemp was illegal in the US for 50 years, and in many states for 80 or more years, with the roots of prohibition back as far as 1906. It's relative, marijuana has a psychoactive component (THC). Though the THC content of hemp is miniscule and not enough to be psychoactive, it has been outlawed along with its relative. Many are suspicious that competing economic interests led to prohibition, such as in the timber, cotton and polyester businesses, which feared competition in the paper, building material and textile/clothing industries.
In 2018, the US Farm Bill removed hemp from the Controlled Substances Act and deemed hemp an agricultural commodity, no longer mistaken as a controlled substance. At this point, the world-leading producer of hemp is China, which produces more than 70% of the world output. Because of prohibition, there is little foundation for the hemp industry in the US to build on, including access to seeds, processing equipment and know-how. However, it does now provide the opportunity to build a just, sustainable and locally based hemp industry from scratch.
What We Do
Founding Hemp Coalition Members
- Cameron McIntosh, President, Americhanvre, Hempcrete installer, cast hemp planter production, Allentown, Lehigh County. Hemp Coalition Coordinator, cameron@alltogethernowpa.org
- Ron Kander, Dean, Kanbar College of Design, Engineering & Commerce, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia
- Heidi Secord, President, PA Farmers Union, Owner, Josie Porter Farm, Stroudsburg, Monroe Co
- Patrick Murphy, CEO, Nearing Nirvana LLC, Phoenixville, Chester County
- Drew Oberholtzer, Co-founder/partner Coexist, Hemp farmer and hemp design/builder, Blandon, Berks County
- Ana Konopitskaya, Co-founder/partner Coexist, hemp farmer and hemp design/builder, Blandon, Berks County
- Caitlin Watts, hempcrete advocate and past Hemp Coalition Coordinator.
- Cherron Perry-Thomas, Co-Founder, Diasporic Alliance for Cannabis Opportunities (DACO), Philadelphia
- E. Oneal Latimore, Founder, The Vaulted Group, Business consulting, Philadelphia
- Eric Titus White, Owner, Mountain Dale Farm, Occult Organix, Monroe County
- Ben Davies, Owner, Wild Fox Farm and Wild Fox Provisions, Berks County
- Judy Wicks, Founder, All Together Now PA, Activist, JudyWicks.com, Philadelphia
What citizens can do to support Pennsylvania industrial hemp
Buy Hemp Products
Because hemp has been illegal for so long, we have few local hemp products, but here are some and more are under development.
- Hempseed oil
Susquehanna Hemp Company, Muncy, PA, also sells hemp soap and CBD products - Hempcrete products
Americhanvre, Allentown, PA, hempcrete installation and hemp planters
Coexist, Blandon, PA, designs and builds hempcrete homes - Hemp clothes and textiles
To our knowledge, there are currently no locally produced hemp textiles, but we hope that dirt-to-shirt supply chains will develop and we will keep you posted. A good source of information on the development of US hemp textiles is Fibershed.com. - CBD and THC Products
See Plant Medicine.
Advocate for local hemp
Encourage your state senator and representative to pass legislation that supports local supply chains and locally owned farms, processors and manufacturers of hemp products. If you sign up for our mailing list, we will notify you of hemp bills in the state legislature.
Invest in local hemp
With partner organizations, we will be sponsoring pitch nights for introducing hemp businesses to investors. Announcements will go out to our mailing list.
Learn and educate
Learn about the emerging local hemp industry through these two great podcasts with interviews of the movers and shakers in the burgeoning hemp scene:
- The Hemp Entrepreneur Podcast, hosted by coalition members Drew Oberholtzer and Cameron McInstosh
- Lancaster Farming's Industrial Hemp Podcast hosted by coalition member Eric Hurlock
Contact us with any question!