Time 4 Hemp

Building the Hemp Economy: Global Leaders on Industrial Hemp’s Promise

Join host Casper Leitch and hemp pioneer, Anndrea Hermann, as they explore the ever-expanding global hemp industry with leading voices from North America, Europe, Africa, and beyond. From textiles to hempcrete, nutrition to innovation, this episode unpacks how industrial hemp is transforming markets, empowering communities, and creating a more sustainable future.
Whether you're curious about hemp markets, want to launch your own brand, or just love hearing from passionate change-makers, this conversation delivers.
Featuring pioneers from Enviro-Textiles, Hemp & Grain Canada, Hemporium South Africa, and more!
Tune in and discover why now is the time for hemp.
Overview
This episode dives into the global industrial hemp movement, showcasing expert voices from North America, Europe, South Africa, and New Zealand. The conversation emphasizes hemp’s sustainability, versatility, economic potential, and the collaborative spirit among its advocates.
Key Guest Spotlights
Summer Star Haeske - Enviro-Textiles: Enviro-Textiles offers 100+ hemp fabric types, supporting U.S. fashion brands. Educational deep-dive into hemp’s ribbon fiber structure and durability vs. cotton. Discusses gaps in U.S. processing infrastructure (e.g. needs for decorators). Importance of USDA’s Bio-Preferred certification: promotes transparency in Eco-friendly products.
Teri Wallace - Hemp Out & Hemp and Grain: Started “Hemp Out” as a female-led social movement. Educates consumers via social media about hemp’s role in food, health, and sustainability. With Hemp and Grain in Canada, she focuses on private-label hemp foods, nutritional consulting, and farmer-consumer integration. Offers advice on launching a hemp food brand: market research and regulatory compliance.
Tony Budden - Founder of Hemporium: Built Africa’s first hemp house, showcasing applications from clothing to construction. Navigates cannabis stigma and policy challenges in South Africa. Pushes for "commercial incubation research" on private and community farms. Advocates for building low-cost hemp housing to address poverty and unemployment.
Boris Baňas - Hemp-Seed Oil: Got involved after reading John Roulac’s hemp guidebook. Helped legalize industrial hemp farming in Slovakia via EU lobbying. Represents Hemp Oil Canada in Europe, importing high-quality food-grade hemp products. Developing germinated hemp seed food lines (oil, protein, flour) with unique nutritional benefits.
Greg Flavall – Hemp Technologies: Co-founded Hemp Technologies in the U.S., helped build the first permitted hemp house. Returned to New Zealand and started growing kompolti hemp for dual-purpose use. Discusses hempcrete: a sustainable, energy-efficient construction material. Building hemp houses in New Zealand at a lower cost than traditional construction. Describes navigating non-conventional building codes in various countries.
Hemp as a Multidimensional Crop
Food: seeds, oil, protein powders, and sprouted products.
Fiber/Textiles: durable, long-strand fibers used in apparel, upholstery, and industrial fabrics.
Building Materials: hempcrete, insulation, chipboard, sustainable housing.
Eco-Impact: low pesticide use, high yield, soil regeneration.
Industry Gaps And Challenges
Lack of processing infrastructure (especially in U.S. and parts of Africa). Difficulty accessing funding for decentralized processing equipment. Regulatory inconsistencies, especially in food standards and farming legality in all countries. The guests emphasize a non-competitive, abundance-driven model. Advocating for shared knowledge, open licensing, and community-based projects.
Industrial hemp offers solutions to modern problems, from climate change and housing to food security and sustainable clothing. The community of experts interviewed is united by the belief that hemp is the future, and they’re actively shaping that future through collaboration, education, and innovation.
 
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A New Chapter in Cannabis Broadcasting

In this episode of 'Time for Hemp', host Casper Leitch is joined by longtime advocates Al Byrne and Al Graham for a heartfelt and eye-opening conversation on the past, present, and future of the hemp and medical cannabis movements.
From their personal stories and decades of activism to the global fight for hemp reform, this episode dives deep into why cannabis matters ; for patients, veterans, educators, and everyday people.
Discover:
Why medical cannabis is changing lives worldwideHow hemp could be the future of sustainable farmingThe importance of preserving activist history and what’s next for the movement
Whether you’re a seasoned advocate or just canna-curious, this episode will leave you inspired, informed, and ready to take 'Time 4 Hemp'.
Tune in now, because education is the first step to liberation.
 
OVERVIEW
This episode is both a reunion and relaunch, the first Time 4 Hemp video broadcast since 2017. The trio reflects on decades of cannabis activism, shares insights into patient advocacy, international policy, and educational media, while laying the groundwork for a new series of collaborations.
Cannabis as Medicine
Personal testimonies from patients and veterans remain the most powerful tools for public education.
Al Byrne explains how cannabis changed the lives of hundreds of veterans he's interviewed, many replacing pharmaceuticals with cannabis to manage PTSD, pain, or substance dependence.
Al Graham stresses the educational mission of PACE (People Advocating Cannabis Education), which broadcasts patient stories and expert insights.
The show will focus on real people with real results, not lawyers or politicians.
History of the Movement
Casper recounts his early work with Jack Herer (author of ‘The Emperor Wears No Clothes’) and how he started Time 4 Hemp as a public domain broadcast in the 1990s.
He details three decades of archives, featuring voices like Dr. Lester Grinspoon, Dr. Robert Melemede, Dennis Peron, and many others, with plans to remaster and re-release the content.
Discussion of the ideological rift between Jack Herer (focused on hemp’s industrial uses) and Dennis Peron (focused on medical use), and how both were right.
Veteran Support
Al Byrne emphasizes that veterans globally share similar challenges and trauma.
He praises Canada’s policy of providing 3 grams of cannabis daily to veterans, free of charge, contrasting it with the U.S., where access varies by state and federal prohibition creates ongoing issues.
Byrne discusses his work with Patients Out of Time, a nonprofit focused on medical cannabis education for health professionals.
Broadcasting as Education
They reflect on Time 4 Hemp’s evolution from radio to global webcasts, often featuring doctors, nurses, and scientists who risked their careers to speak the truth about cannabis. Their 24-hour “Love Fest” on April 20, 2020, during global lock-downs, united activists and patients worldwide.
Global Policy & Education
Mention of Europe’s progressive cannabis policies, 27 countries have cannabis in their pharmacopoeias.
The U.S. and Canada are lagging, despite their medical infrastructure and advocacy networks.
Praise for The Medical Cannabis Institute, which offers accredited online courses for healthcare professionals worldwide.
Hemp’s Nutritional & Industrial Value
Dr. William Courtney's work is cited, advocating for juicing raw cannabis for health benefits (without the high). Roasted hemp seeds are noted as a common movie snack in China! They emphasize the endocannabinoid system, present in all animals except insects, and how hemp seed oil nourishes it.
Preserving Cannabis History
A call to preserve and share interviews from the Time 4 Hemp archives, including early advocates like Jack Herer and Keith Stroup (founder of NORML).
They reflect on patients like Michelle Rainey, who shared her story with terminal cancer so others could learn and be inspired.
Political Commentary
Blunt criticism of how lawyers, police, and politicians are often the gatekeepers of medical cannabis policy, despite lacking medical expertise.
Debate about regulatory inconsistencies across North America, from advertising bans in Canada to interstate commerce restrictions in the U.S.
Closing Thoughts
The episode ends with humor, nostalgia, and a call to action: to preserve history, to continue patient-centered advocacy, and to remind the world how vital it is to take time 4 hemp, for medicine, food, and sustainability.
 
Make it a point to visit https://www.time4hemp.news. Please share us with your friends.