US flag made of hemp to fly over Capitol on Independence Day; like country’s first flags

DENVER – A U.S. flag made of industrial hemp will fly over the Capitol in Washington on Independence Day.

Democratic Rep. Jared Polis announced Wednesday that his request for the hemp-made flag had been granted.

Polis has long pushed for the plant to be legal for farmers to grow. Industrial hemp looks much like marijuana but does not have its psychoactive properties. Federal law prohibits growing hemp but not importing it.

Historians say the first U.S. flags were made of hemp, which was raised by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

Polis successfully amended the federal farm bill last month to allow farmers to raise industrial hemp. But the farm bill ultimately failed.

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