15 Fascinating Facts About Hemp

1. All schoolbooks were made from hemp or flax paper until the 1880s. (Jack Frazier. Hemp Paper Reconsidered. 1974.)
2. 2. It was legal to pay taxes with hemp in America from 1631 until the early 1800s. (LA Times. Aug. 12, 1981.)
3. 3. Refusing to grow hemp in America during the 17th and 18th centuries was against the law! You could be jailed in Virginia for refusing to grow hemp from 1763 to 1769 (G. M. Herdon. Hemp in Colonial Virginia).
4. 4. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and other founding fathers grew hemp. (Washington and Jefferson Diaries. Jefferson smuggled hemp seeds from China to France then to America.)
5. 5. Benjamin Franklin owned one of the first paper mills in America, and it processed hemp. Also, the War of 1812 was fought over hemp. Napoleon wanted to cut off Moscow’s export to England. (Jack Herer. Emperor Wears No Clothes.)
6. 6. For thousands of years, 90% of all ships’ sails and rope were made from hemp. The word ‘canvas’ comes from the Middle English word “canevas” which comes from the Latin word cannabis. (Webster’s New World Dictionary.)
7. 7. 80% of all textiles, fabrics, clothes, linen, drapes, bed sheets, etc., were made from hemp until the 1820s, with the introduction of the cotton gin.
8. 8. The first Bibles, maps, charts, Betsy Ross’s flag, the first drafts of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were made from hemp. (U.S. Government Archives.)
9. 9. The first crop grown in many states was hemp. 1850 was a peak year for Kentucky producing 40,000 tons. Hemp was the largest cash crop until the 20th century. (State Archives.)
10. 10. Oldest known records of hemp farming go back 5000 years in China, although hemp industrialization probably goes back to ancient Egypt.
11. 11. Rembrandt’s, Van Gogh’s, Gainsborough’s, as well as most early canvas paintings, were principally painted on hemp linen.
12. 12. In 1916, the U.S. Government predicted that by the 1940s all paper would come from hemp and that no more trees need to be cut down. Government studies report that 1 acre of hemp equals 4.1 acres of trees. Plans were in the works to implement such programs. (U.S. Department of Agriculture Archives.)
13. 13. Quality paints and varnishes were made from hemp seed oil until 1937. 58,000 tons of hemp seeds were used in America for paint products in 1935. (Sherman Williams Paint Co. testimony before the U.S.Congress against the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act.)
14. 14. Henry Ford’s first Model-T was built to run on hemp gasoline and the car itself was constructed from hemp! On his large estate, Ford was photographed among his hemp fields. The car, ‘grown from the soil,’ had hemp plastic panels whose impact strength was 10 times stronger than steel. (Popular Mechanics, 1941.)
15. 15. In 1938, hemp was called ‘Billion Dollar Crop.’ It was the first time a cash crop had a business potential to exceed a billion dollars. (Popular Mechanics, Feb. 1938.)

References

1. Since 1980, THC levels of confiscated marijuana have averaged between 3% and 4% THC. (National Institute for Drug Abuse, University of Mississippi, Mississippi Potency Monitoring Project, Report #50, June 30, 1994).

2. Multiple References Listed Below:

Federation Nationale des Producteurs de Chanvre (National Federation of Hemp Producers), LeMans, France, Jean-Paul Mathieu, director.

Hungarian Agricultural Research Institute (GATE), Kompolt, Hungary.

International Hemp Association, Postbus 75007, 1070 AA Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Sensi Seed, P.O. Box 1771, Rotterdam BT-3000 Holland.

Ukrainian Institute of Bast Crops, Glukhov, Sumy Region, SSR Ukraine.

3. “British Farmers to Grow Cannabis — Legally”, Reuter’s press release, Feb. 18, 1993.

4. These countries include Canada, China, England, France, Holland, Hungary, Ukraine, Tasmania. From Rosenthal, Ed. Hemp Today. Oakland, CA: Quick American Archives, 1994.

5. Commission Regulation (EEC) №1164/89 of 28 April 1989 “Laying down the detailed rules concerning the aid for fibre flax and hemp”, No. L 121, Vol. 32, pp. 4–9, April 29, 1989.

6. “British Farmers to Grow Cannabis — Legally”, Reuter News Service, Feb. 18, 1993.

7. Turner, Craig, “Legalize hemp? Other countries say yes”, Boulder Daily Camera, May 22, 1994.

8. Herer, Jack. The Emperor Wears No Clothes: The Authoritative Historical Record of the Cannabis Plant. Van Nuys, CA: HEMP Publishing, 1992, pp. 5–7.

9. Herer, Jack. The Emperor Wears No Clothes: The Authoritative Historical Record of the Cannabis Plant. Van Nuys, CA: HEMP Publishing, 1992, p. 1.

10. Hemp for Victory, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1942.

11. “New Billion-Dollar Crop”, Popular Mechanics, February 1938, pp. 238–240.

12. “New Billion-Dollar Crop”, Popular Mechanics, February 1938, pp. 238–240.

13. “New Billion-Dollar Crop”, Popular Mechanics, February 1938, pp. 238–240.

14. Lower, George A. “Flax and Hemp: From the Seed to the Loom”, Mechanical Engineering, Feb. 26, 1937.

15. United States Congress. House of Representatives. Committee on Ways and Means. Hearings on H.R. 6385. Taxation of Marihuana. April 27, 28, 29, 30 and May 4, 1937. 75th Congress, 2nd session.

16. “It’s a Hemp Year.” Business Week. April 24, 1943.

17. Hemp for Victory, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1942.

18. Brecher, Edward M. Licit and Illicit Drugs: A Consumers Union Report, Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1972, p. 419.

19. Miller, Richard Lawrence. Hemp as a Crop for Missouri Farmers: Markets, Economics, Cultivation, Law. Report to Agricultural Task Force, Missouri House of Representatives, Summer 1991.

20. Lower, George A., “Flax and Hemp: From the Seed to the Loom”, Mechanical Engineering, Feb. 26, 1937.

21. Multiple References Listed Below:

Castellini, Luigi. “The Hemp Plant”, CIBA Review, 1961- 62, pp. 2–31.

Lower, George A., “Flax and Hemp: From the Seed to the Loom”, Mechanical Engineering, Feb. 26, 1937.

22. “New Billion-Dollar Crop”, Popular Mechanics, February 1938, pp. 238–240.

23. Hemp for Victory, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1942.

24. Herer, Jack. The Emperor Wears No Clothes: The Authoritative Historical Record of the Cannabis Plant. Van Nuys, CA: HEMP Publishing, 1992, p. 6.

25. Lower, George A. “Flax and Hemp: From the Seed to the Loom”, Mechanical Engineering, Feb. 26, 1937.

26. Conrad, Chris. Hemp: Lifeline to the Future. Los Angeles: Creative Xpressions Publications, 1993, p. 24.

27. “New Billion-Dollar Crop”, Popular Mechanics, February 1938, pp. 238–240.

28. Lower, George A. “Flax and Hemp: From the Seed to the Loom”, YMechanical Engineering, Feb. 26, 1937.

29. Dewey, Lyster H. and Merrill, Jason L. “Hemp Hurds as Paper-Making Material”, Bulletin №404, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Oct. 14, 1916.

30. Multiple References Listed Below:

“New Billion-Dollar Crop”, Popular Mechanics, February 1938, pp. 238- 240.

“It’s time to reconsider hemp” Pulp and Paper, June 1991.

West, C.J. “Hemp Wood as a Paper-making Material”, Paper Trade Journal, Oct. 13, 1921.

31. Dewey, Lyster H. and Merrill, Jason L. “Hemp Hurds as Paper-Making Material”, Bulletin №404, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Oct. 14, 1916.

32. Correspondence from D. Paul Stanford, president, Tree- Free EcoPaper, Portland, OR, January 1993.

33. Multiple References Listed Below:

“Isochanvre (Insuhemp): Nature is an Architect”. Chenevotte Habitat, “LeVerger”, F 72260 Rene, LeMans, France, Phone: 43 97 45 18.

Rosenthal, Ed. “Hemp in Hungary”, Hemp Today, Oakland, CA: Quick American Archives, 1994, p. 242.

34. “Isochanvre (Insuhemp): Nature is an Architect”. Chenevotte Habitat, “LeVerger”, F 72260 Rene, LeMans, France, Phone: 43 97 45 18.

35. “DuPont”. American Peoples Encyclopedia, 1953.

36. “New Billion-Dollar Crop”, Popular Mechanics, February 1938, pp. 238–240.

37. Conrad, Chris. Hemp: Lifeline to the Future. Los Angeles: Creative Xpressions Publications, 1993, p. 101.

38. Rosenthal, Ed. “Hemp in England” (Conversations with Ian Low, Hemcore Corp, Essex, U.K.) Hemp Today, Oakland, CA: Quick American Archives, 1994, p. 205.

39. Wirshafter, Don. “Why Hemp Seeds?” Hemp Today, Oakland, CA: Quick American Archives, 1994, p. 171.

40. Erasmus, Udo. Fats and Oils: The Complete Guide to Fats and Oils in Health and Nutrition, Vancouver: Alive Books, 1991, p. 231.

41. Multiple References Listed Below:

Korus, R. “Transesterfication Process and Manufacture of Ethyl Ester from Rape Oil”. Proceedings of the First Biomass Conference of the Americas, Burlington, VT, Aug. 30 — Sept. 2, 1993.

Reed, T. “Overview of Biodiesel Fuels”. Proceedings of the First Biomass Conference of the Americas, Burlington, VT, Aug. 30 — Sept. 2, 1993.

Interview with A. Das, Biomass Energy Foundation, P.O. Box 7137, Boulder, CO 80306, (303) 225–8356, October 1994.

42. Reed, T. “Overview of Biodiesel Fuels”. Proceedings of the First Biomass Conference of the Americas, Burlington, VT, Aug. 30 — Sept. 2, 1993.

43. “Hemp”. Merit Student’s Encyclopedia (1982), New York: MacMillan Educational Company, pp. 520–521.

44. Conrad, Chris. Hemp: Lifeline to the Future. Los Angeles: Creative Xpressions Publications, 1993, p. 140.

45. Interview with A. Das, Biomass Energy Foundation, P.O. Box 7137, Boulder, CO 80306, (303) 225–8356, October 1994.

46. Wirshafter, Don. “Why Hemp Seeds?” Hemp Today, Oakland, CA: Quick American Archives, 1994, p. 171.

47. McKenny, M. Birds in the Garden and How to Attract Them. NY: Reynall and Hitchcock, 1939, pp. 64–65.

48. The hemp yield estimates are an average of figures taken from the sources listed below. Many of the more recent hemp production figures have shown yields 2 to 3 times higher than the averages used in the text.

Agricultural Statistics, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1949.

Dewey, Lyster H. and Merrill, Jason L. “Hemp Hurds as Paper-Making Material”, Bulletin №404, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Oct. 14, 1916.

Haney, Alan. “An Ecological Study of Naturalized Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) in East-Central Illinois”. The American Midland Naturalist, January 1975.

“Hemp Slows Up” Business Week. Jan. 22, 1944.

FAO Production Yearbook 1986. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization, 1987.

Letters from Professor Goloborodko, Director, All Union Bast Crops Institute, Glokov, Ukraine. In Birrenbach, John. Report B: Hemp for Paper, St. Paul, MN: Institute for Hemp, 1993.

Lower, George A. “Flax and Hemp: From the Seed to the Loom”, Mechanical Engineering, Feb. 26, 1937.

Merit Student’s Encyclopedia (1982), pp. 520–521. New York: MacMillan Educational Company.

Miller, Richard Lawrence. Hemp as a Crop for Missouri Farmers: Markets, Economics, Cultivation, Law. Report to Agricultural Task Force, Missouri House of Representatives, Summer 1991.

Robinson, B.B., “Hemp”, Farmers’ Bulletin №1935, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1943 edition and 1952 revised edition.

49. Cotton, soybean, wheat and corn figures come from: Costs of Production (1987), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. Wood chip figures come from: Rosenthal, Ed. Hemp Today, Oakland, CA: Quick American Archives, 1994, pp. 73 and 79. Douglas fir figures come from: Conde, William, et al. Wood Fiber Demand Can Be Met with Hemp Fiber. Published by: C & S Specialty Builders, 23005 N. Coburg Rd., Harrisburg, OR 97446, (503) 995–6164.

50. “New Billion-Dollar Crop”, Popular Mechanics, February 1938, pp. 238–240.

51. Robinson, B.B. “Hemp”. Farmers’ Bulletin №1935, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1943 edition and 1952 revised edition.

52. “New Billion-Dollar Crop”, Popular Mechanics, February 1938, pp. 238–240.

53. Dewey, Lyster. “Hemp”. Yearbook of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1913.

54. “New Billion-Dollar Crop”, Popular Mechanics, February 1938, pp. 238–240.

55. Lower, George A. “Flax and Hemp: From the Seed to the Loom”, Mechanical Engineering, Feb. 26, 1937.

56. Dewey, Lyster. “Hemp”. Yearbook of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1913.

57. Zeman, N. & Foote, D. “Turning over a New Old Leaf: An Unfashionable Icon Comes Back in Fashion.” Newsweek, Feb. 8, 1993, p. 60.

58. Correspondence from D. Paul Stanford, president, Tree- Free EcoPaper, Portland, OR, January 1993.

59. Multiple References Listed Below:

Birrenbach, John. Report B: Hemp for Paper, St. Paul, MN: Institute for Hemp.

Rosenthal, Ed. Hemp Today. Oakland, CA: Quick American Archives, 1994.

60. Multiple References Listed Below:

Castellini, Luigi. “The Hemp Plant”, CIBA Review, 1961–62, pp. 2–31.

Lower, George A. “Flax and Hemp: From the Seed to the Loom”, Mechanical Engineering, Feb. 26, 1937.

61. “New Billion-Dollar Crop”, Popular Mechanics, February 1938, pp. 238–240.

62. Conrad, Chris. Hemp: Lifeline to the Future. Los Angeles: Creative Xpressions Publications, 1993, p. 101.

63. Lower, George A. “Flax and Hemp: From the Seed to the Loom”, Mechanical Engineering, Feb. 26, 1937.

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