Dr. Bronner's Donates $100,000 More to Recommercialize Industrial Hemp in Colorado and Washington State

ESCONDIDO, Calif., Nov. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps, family-owned maker of the top-selling natural brand of soap in North America, announced today a new donation of $100,000 to voter initiatives in Colorado and Washington state that would tax and regulate cannabis like alcohol and effectively end prohibition of industrial hemp farming in each state for the first time in over 50 years. Dr. Bronner's new donation to the Campaign to Tax and Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Colorado was $75,000 and the donation to New Approach Washington was $25,000.  In June, Dr. Bronner's gave each campaign $50,000.

"Dr. Bronner's increased financial support of Amendment 64 and Initiative 502 because they have a strong chance of passage that would unlock the potential for industrial hemp to bolster the American economy," said David Bronner, President of Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps.

"Overall, the market for hemp fiber and seed products at retail in the U.S. is over $450 million annually. Sadly, because hemp has been caught up in this nation's irrational marijuana prohibition laws, not a penny of that money goes to farmers in the U.S.," says Bronner who imports over 20 tons of hemp oil annually from Canada to make his family's top selling organic body care products.

According to the hemp farming advocacy group Vote Hemp, the U.S. is the only industrialized nation in the world that prohibits the commercial production of industrial hemp, despite the fact that more hemp fiber, seed and oil is imported to the U.S. than to any other country.  Industrial hemp refers to non-psychoactive cultivars of cannabis grown for fiber and seed, which was farmed extensively in the U.S. prior to prohibition in the 30s, and then again during WWII for the war effort when the Japanese cut off supply from the Philippines. 

"Allowing the legal cultivation and processing of industrial hemp would provide Colorado and Washington with an infusion of new jobs and tax revenue in the near-term," says Michael Bronner, Vice-President of Dr. Bronner's.  "Our company is ready to invest in developing hemp production in the U.S. It's up to the voters to unlock real economic potential by voting yes on these hemp propositions this Election Day," says Bronner.

More information on the marijuana propositions backed by Dr. Bronner's can be found at http://www.regulatemarijuana.org/ and http://www.newapproachwa.org/.

SOURCE Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps