Today, kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus) is a commercial alternative fiber crop
with several uses, high quality paper among them. However, kenaf is
limited geographically to the climate of the southern U.S.
Hemp, on the other hand, has a much wider climatic range than kenaf
so hemp can be raised in most parts of the U.S.
One of the most highly publicized arguments for a revival of the hemp
industry---- advocated strongly by forest reform groups----is the use of
hemp (as well as kenaf and rice straw) as a substitute for forest-derived
wood pulp in manufacturing newsprint and other papers.