Micah Nelson: Harvesting Harmony, Healing and Hope for American Farmers with Hemp

Today, we are continuing our series of episodes on hemp with an iconoclastic advocate, Micah Nelson. As a Board member of the National Hemp Association, he is working to call attention to the advantages of ending hemp prohibition at the Federal level. More importantly, he is committed to using his voice as an artist to empower awareness about some of the most perplexing environmental, economic and social challenges facing American farmers and society at large as a means of creating a more harmonious and just world.

Considering that hemp is one of the most renewable and resilient plant resources on earth, which had been a staple commodity since as early as 4,000 B.C., it is absurd that it is still listed among Schedule One controlled substances. Contrary to what the DEA would have us believe, hemp is not a psychotropic drug like other Schedule One substances such LSD and Heroin with a handful of well-endowed elected officials working tirelessly to keep it that way. It’s a bone of that would make for some very compelling debate.

With more than 20,000 thousand uses for hemp for making medicine, building materials, paper, food substances and so many remedial and industrial applications, hemp has potential to transform industry, reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, remediate toxic brown fields and provide lucrative returns for family farms that have been disadvantaged by big agriculture. For every acre of hemp, we could save thousands of trees and eliminate thousands of pounds of carbon emissions caused by petrochemicals. Since it thrives in adverse conditions with far less water than corn or cotton, it is a cost-efficient cash crop that could provide windfall profits for America’s family farmers.

With so many medical, remedial and industrial uses, its potential to solve some of our most perplexing economic and environmental problems can’t be overlooked. It’s up to us to shine light on the truth to bring hemp out of the shadows of oppression. That’s what Micah Nelson is here to talk about with us and I’ll introduce him right after Dr. Doner’s Medical Marijuana Minute.

J. Micah Nelson grew up surrounded with vibrant and authentic creative spirits. While he is constantly exploring the symbiosis of light, sound, vibration and artistic expression, he also devotes immeasurable energy advocating for hemp, a passion inspired by his father’s support of environmental causes and FarmAid concerts to benefit American farmers. As an accomplished artist and musician in his own right, he has performed in countless venues and events like Neil Young’s Bridge-School Benefit, FarmAid, Desert Trip Festival, Lightning in a Bottle, Coachella and Bonnaroo, and also made guest appearances on shows like Conan O’brien, Jimmy Fallon, and Jimmy Kimmel Live to name a few. In addition to his latest solo recording project, Particle Kid, and ongoing involvement in the psych-punk-orchestra Insects vs. Robots, he has toured and performed with iconoclastic artists including Neil Young, his brother Lukas in the band POTR, and his father Willie Nelson. As a National Hemp Association Board member, he is lobbying for Congress to pass the Industrial Hemp Farming Act and leading a modern-day Hemp for Victory campaign.

If not for the generosity of our supporters, we wouldn’t be here! We’d first like to thank our sponsors Hemp Meds and Healthtera. We’d also like to shout out to our producer, Ed Vanderlee at Star Worldwide Networks, Erik Godal, the composer of our theme “Evergreen,” Steve Webb at XRQK Radio Network and Dr. Bryan Doner for the Medical Marijuana Minute and Compassionate Certification Centers for helping us spread the word. We are grateful!