David Bronner Arrested at Capital for HEMP

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Authorities in Washington DC went to extreme measures to arrest an Escondido soap-maker Monday, using a chainsaw to access the man protesting outside the White House.

David Bronner, CEO of Escondido’s top-selling Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, was protesting laws banning hemp harvesting in the U.S., according to the Washington Post.

Bronner locked himself in the steel cage and attempted to make enough hemp oil to spread on a piece of bread. Metro police and firefighters arrested him before he reached his goal, using a chainsaw to cut the cage open.

Bronner was charged with possession of marijuana and blocking passage.

Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps uses hemp oil in its soaps, importing about $100,000 dollars a year of hemp oil from Canada, according a Bronner spokesperson.

The soap company with its iconic labels (right) was founded about 60 years ago.

Bronner himself has donated large sums of money to Marijuana legalization efforts. The spokesperson added that legalizing hemp would allow the company to buy from American farmers.

Federal drug laws classify hemp as a controlled substance, like marijuana.

Atop his cage, Bronner placed a sign that read “Dear Mr. President, Let U.S. Farmers Grow Hemp.”

By Lauren Steussy
NBCSanDiego.com