Hemp History Week: A look at the history and benefits of sustainable industrial hemp in the US.

The annual American Hemp History Week takes place June 2-8, 2014 with activities in every state that continue to educate more Americans about the benefits of hemp. Uses ranging from construction materials and fuel; to clothing and food, showcases hemp as an eco-friendly solution that provides economic opportunity for American farmers and American manufacturers. It’s ironic that this versatile, sustainable crop that US law once required farmers to grow is now a prohibited crop, the result of misguided federal policy created in the 1930s.

Hemp has a global history with use dating back to 8000 BC to create fabrics. Around 2700 B.C. C., hemp was also used to make rope, food and medicine. Years later, hemp was used for sailcloth, lamp oil, and paper. Hemp paper was used for both the Gutenberg and King James Bibles, and artists such as Rembrandt and Van Gogh painted on hemp canvas. With the first hemp law enacted in Virginia, American farmers in the 17th and 18th centuries had to grow hemp, and in the 18th century they could be jailed for not doing so. Notable American ancestors were involved in the growth of hemp as a viable crop. Ben Franklin started one of the first hemp paper mills; hemp fiber was used to make clothing for George Washington’s army, cloth for the first flag, and paper for the Declaration of Independence; both Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew hemp on their plantations; Abe Lincoln used hemp seed oil as lamp fuel; and hemp was accepted in the United States as legal tender. In 1850 there were about eight thousand large hemp plantations in the United States covering about two thousand acres, and an untold number of small farms that also grew hemp. In the late 1800s, engines such as those produced by Rudolph Diesel used vegetable and seed oil fuels, hemp being the most efficient of these. And in the 1930s, Henry Ford saw biomass fuels as a future, including hemp in his biomass conversion plant.

The demise of hemp began in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Recreational drug use was introduced to the US with the opening of “smoking” parlors in several major cities. Smoking the flower of the female hemp plant for pain relief and the increased use of cannabis in over-the-counter remedies led to the 1906 Food and Drug Act requiring labeling of any over-the-counter product containing cannabis. An influx of immigrants to the US after the Mexican Revolution in 1910 introduced marijuana for recreational purposes. With the hardships suffered during the Great Depression, the fear and resentment of these immigrants intensified and the marijuana associated with them was blamed as the cause of violent crime. This unwarranted fear was exploited for anti-hemp campaign efforts initiated by industries in direct competition. Key figures with interests in pulp, cotton, liquor, oil, and fuel wanted competition from hemp eliminated. The negative hype towards hemp continued and in 1937 Congress passed the Marijuana Tax Act which criminalized the unauthorized cultivation and use of marijuana. Interestingly, until the late 1960s, the US government considered the cannabis plant to have two varieties, industrial hemp and marijuana. After the Controlled Substances Act was passed in 1970, hemp was no longer recognized as separate from marijuana. Once known as the ‘billion dollar crop’, hemp and its value to the American economy were wiped out of existence.

There are two different varieties of cannabis: marijuana and hemp, just as a Siamese cat and a tiger are different varieties of the cat species: Felidae. The flowering tops and leaves of the psychoactive variety, known as marijuana, have a high THC content that causes a psychoactive effect on the nervous system. Industrial Hemp is a different variety with very low THC and is grown for its fiber, seeds and oil. The benefits of industrial hemp are many. Known as a carbon negative feedstock, it enriches the soil with essential nutrients; creates more oxygen than any other crop; and control weeds. Yielding up to 25 tons per acre per year, hemp replenishes quickly and can be grown in a variety of climates and soil conditions without the use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers. Every part of the Industrial Hemp plant can be used to make a variety of products, including textiles, paper, food, medicine, building materials, paint, detergent, oil, ink, and fuel. Legalizing industrial hemp cultivation in the US would have a major positive impact on the US economy and natural resources, including; decreased foreign imports with more products made in the United States; provide an alternative power source; minimize the demolition of our forests; and provide a food source for humans and livestock.

Many states have examined the benefits of industrial hemp and have initiated processes to return hemp to a major crop in the US. Colorado and Kentucky are at the forefront of this push with hemp farms springing up across Colorado and development projects. test in Kentucky. Hemp History Week is a perfect opportunity to check out activities in your state and online to learn more about the amazing benefits of hemp.