Industry insiders worry that the U.S. textile industry doesn’t have the supply chain infrastructure to process the plant and use the fibers to make textiles, at least not yet.
The U.S. Constitution was written on hemp paper, and Betsy Ross’ first American flag was made of hemp fabric, but the road back to hemp fiber textiles grown in the United States will take a while, industry experts say.
Thousands of U.S. farmers have planted hemp this year, hoping to cash in on the revival of a historic American crop that was illegal to grow for more than 80 years.