WASHINGTON — Old Glory was flying “higher” than usual over the Capitol for the Fourth of July.
An American flag made of hemp — a non-psychoactive byproduct of the marijuana plant — waved above the Capitol yesterday during the Independence Day celebration, thanks to Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.).
Polis, who has been fighting to end the federal ban on domestic cultivation of industrial hemp, sponsored the prominent display of the star-spangled reefer.
Congress members have the privilege to request specific flags flown over the Capitol building.
“George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew hemp. The first American flag was made of hemp,” declared Polis. “I am proud that an American flag made of hemp will fly over our Capitol on the anniversary of our nation’s birth.”
Betsy Ross did, in fact, weave the first American flag out of hemp, which was widely cultivated in the colonies at that time.