Hemp advocates say it is fast and cost effective in cleaning up oil spills on land or water.

Hemp was once a mainstay crop in Virginia, until it ended up being banished as part of the long U.S. war on drugs starting in the 1930s.

The prospect of growing industrial hemp for a living in Rowan County is apparently a hot topic.

The prospect of growing industrial hemp for a living in Rowan County is apparently a hot topic.

One acre of hemp can reportedly yield up to 5,300 pounds of straw, which can be turned into 1,300 pounds of wood fiber.

While plenty of cannabis goes up in smoke in coffee shops around the Netherlands, Dutch researchers have found a new use for it - as an environmentally friendly building material to rival cement or steel.

Cannabis: It’s not just for medicinal or recreational purposes. At least that's what one commercial grower hopes.

BOSTON - A measure on track for the November statewide ballot would open the doors of the Massachusetts marketplace to legal use of recreational marijuana. But a small section in the proposed ballot measure promoted by the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol would also regulate the cultivation, process, distribution and sale of hemp.

BOSTON - A measure on track for the November statewide ballot would open the doors of the Massachusetts marketplace to legal use of recreational marijuana. But a small section in the proposed ballot measure promoted by the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol would also regulate the cultivation, process, distribution and sale of hemp.

A bill that would legalize hemp production in New Mexico passed another legislative hurdle on Monday.

A bill that would legalize hemp production in New Mexico passed another legislative hurdle on Monday.

With pot consumption now legal in half of all states for either medical or recreational purposes, the long-dormant business of hemp production may well be poised for a renaissance.

31 states have passed legislation allowing hemp research or production.

RICHMOND, Va. (WSET) -- The Manufacturing of Industrial Hemp for commercial purposes was approved according to Virginia's Legislation Information System.

RICHMOND, Va. (WSET) -- The Manufacturing of Industrial Hemp for commercial purposes was approved according to Virginia's Legislation Information System.

Casinos on Native American land have poured billions into tribal economies since the late 1980s, lifting many people from poverty. Now, some hope, cultivating industrial hemp could do the same.

The growing of hemp was approved in Missouri in 2014.

The growing of hemp was approved in Missouri in 2014.

Clint Pyatt is a third-generation farmer from Oklahoma who has traveled the world promoting the hemp industry. So it’s no coincidence that the 45-year-old Marine Corps veteran is trying to shepherd hemp into Pueblo County.

It’s been nearly a century in the making, but this May will bring with it the first legal planting of the versatile, valuable industrial hemp oilseed and fiber crop in Washington State in approximately 90 years.

It’s been nearly a century in the making, but this May will bring with it the first legal planting of the versatile, valuable industrial hemp oilseed and fiber crop in Washington State in approximately 90 years.

Though commercial marijuana became legal in Alaska in February 2015, hemp is not yet legal.

Though commercial marijuana became legal in Alaska in February 2015, hemp is not yet legal.

BROOMFIELD, Colo. – The Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) is announcing that three industrial hemp seed varieties have passed the statewide THC validation and observation trial and are now eligible to be grown by the Colorado Seed Growers Association for production of “CDA Approved Certified Seed.”

BROOMFIELD, Colo. – The Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) is announcing that three industrial hemp seed varieties have passed the statewide THC validation and observation trial and are now eligible to be grown by the Colorado Seed Growers Association for production of “CDA Approved Certified Seed.”