Colleen Lanier Gives Hemp a Helping Hand

Food, fiber, fuel, renewability, and sustainability. These five components are the foundation of Colleen Lanier’s industrial hemp campaign. For the past five years, Lanier has worked tirelessly to advocate on behalf of the Hemp Industries Association (HIA) and Vote Hemp to build awareness and acceptance for this versatile crop.

From her early work with the Tennessee HIA helping to pass the The Agricultural Act of 2014 (a.k.a. the Farm Bill) to her current endeavors to have hemp removed from the Controlled Substance Act, Lanier’s passion has led to some incredible advancements for the industry. In this exclusive interview, Lanier discusses why hemp should be used as a primary commodity for everything from biofuels to housing and how domestic cultivation could change the landscape of American industrial farming.

Cannabis & Tech Today : What first spurred your interest in the hemp industry?

Colleen Keahey Lanier: It actually just