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from Natural Life magazine, May/June,
2009 Hemp fiber is a very old fiber that is making a comeback. It is increasingly popular in a wide range of products, including textiles and clothing, carpeting, home furnishings, construction materials, auto parts and paper. Hemp seed, an oilseed, likewise has many uses, including industrial oils, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and food. Hemp is among the oldest industries on the planet, dating back more than 10,000 years. The Columbia History of the World states that the oldest relic of human industry is a bit of hemp fabric dating back to approximately 8,000 BC. Currently, more than thirty nations – predominantly including Canada – grow industrial hemp as an agricultural commodity. About fourteen of those sell part of their production on the world market. The U.S. is the only industrialized nation in the world that does not recognize the value of industrial hemp and permit its production. Hemp was widely grown in the United States from the colonial period into the mid-1800s. Presidents Washington and Jefferson both grew hemp. Ben Franklin owned a mill that made hemp paper. Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence on hemp paper. In fact, due to its importance for sails (the word “canvass” is rooted in “cannabis”) and rope for ships, Americans were legally bound to grow hemp during the Colonial Era and Early Republic. Both fine and coarse fabrics, twine and paper from hemp were in common use. However, by the 1890s, labor-saving machinery for harvesting cotton made the latter more competitive as a source of fabric for clothing and the demand for coarse natural fibers was met increasingly by imports.
By 1933, in an effort to stem the use of cannabis flowers and leaves for their psychotropic effects, thirty-three states had passed laws restricting legal production to medicinal and industrial purposes only. Then, in 1937, Congress passed the first federal law to discourage cannabis production for marijuana while still permitting industrial uses of the crop. In fact, the government actively encouraged and subsidized farmers to grow hemp for fiber and oil during World War II. After the war, competition from synthetic fibers, taxation and increasing public anti-drug sentiment resulted in fewer and fewer acres of hemp being planted, and none at all after 1958. In 1970, Congress passed the Controlled Substances Act, which makes growing hemp illegal without a DEA permit. Those have been near impossible to obtain. As a result, all hemp products sold in the U.S. are imported or manufactured from imported hemp materials. However, that may be about to change, as more than 25 states have passed laws calling for economic or production studies and there is a proposed federal bill being studied by two House Committees that would permit industrial hemp production based on state law, without preemption by the federal government under the Controlled Substances Act. Hemp Farming Hemp growers cannot hide hemp plants in their fields like they can marijuana. Marijuana is grown widely spaced to maximize leaves. Hemp is grown in tightly-spaced rows to maximize stalk and is usually harvested before it goes to seed. Hemp has incredible environmental benefits. It doesn’t pollute... To read the rest of this article, subscribe to Natural Life's online edition. Ed Mass is President and Founder of Yes It’s Organic, an online store for organic, fair labor and eco friendly goods including clothing for women, men, children and babies; bedding; towels; mattresses; organic logo wear and promotional products for organizations wanting to improve their environmental footprint; sustainable furniture and more. After being an environmentalist for over 40 years he decided to participate more directly in growing the organic, fair labor, and eco friendly industries by educating consumers and influencing their buying habits.
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