Readers of LRC know that Ron Paul is in the front lines of the fight against the drug war.

But a lesser-known aspect of that issue may garner support from an important segment: farmers.

Last month, The Economist focused on the fight by Iowa farmers to get the right to grow the cannabis plant to produce industrial hemp, which can provide cheaper alternatives for paper, plastics, and one of the healthiest food oils available. On the political side, the article explains “Ron Paul, a Texas congressman and presidential candidate, could win over farmers in Iowa because of his pro-hemp lobbying. In February he introduced a bill in Congress that would allow Americans to grow it.”

Today’s New York Times has an article about North Dakota farmers wanting to get in on the hemp boom.

Though federal authorities ban the growing of hemp, saying it contains tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive substance better known as THC in marijuana, six states this year considered legislation to allow farmers to grow industrial hemp, and Representative Ron Paul, Republican of Texas, introduced a bill in Washington that would let states allow such crops.

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