Hemp cultivation was basically demanded by the government in the 1600′s, in fact, through most American History hemp has been a popular crop to grow. The first American Hemp law was passed in Jamestown colony, out of Virginia. That law made farmers grow hemp, without exception, or be dragged off to jail…what happened? Presently, you could, and probably would, be hauled off to jail for growing hemp anywhere. In fact, there is far more capability to grow Marijuana legally, (which contains THC compounds and is considered a drug) than its non-drug, counterpart Hemp.
In all actuality, Hemp was so popular, that, in the 1600′s you could use it as currancy, Hemp was even accepted by the government for paying taxes . In fact, for over 200 years hemp was popular, Until it’s look-alike, Cannabis Sativa (Marijuana) was “demonized”, it had remained a viable and lucrative crop.
If something is considered beneficial for hundreds of years, and kept without trouble or complaint , why was Hemp so condemned? Was it something as conservatively radical as prohibition , which forced alcohol into an illegal trade? If you prohibited all alcohol, you wouldn’t even be able to cook with it, so prohibition was a serious issue, there are still “dry counties” even after all this time.
The Mindset of those Times…
“Marijuana influences Negroes to look at white people in the eye, step on white men’s shadows and look at a white woman twice.” - a quote from Harry J. Anslinger, who headed the bureau of narcotics.
This day and age was quite different from our present day, even though traces of this mentality still exists; all taking place in, around, or after The Great Depression (1929 to approximately 1940). Imagine being African American in those days and not being allowed to step on a “white” mans shadow…sounds mid evil. These men created the laws out of their own imaginations, We need to think of Hemp in modern day terms or we will be robbed of, what could be one of the most useful, diverse and beneficial plants on the planet.
Henry Ford said to a New York Times reporter that ethyl alcohol (processed from hemp) was “the fuel of the future”, all of this happened around 1925, In this statement, Henry Ford was reflecting the opinions of the automobile industry as well. Instead of embracing the ethyl alcohol, we have taken the other option of fossil fuels, which has brought a great deal of the pollution we have today.
“The fuel of the future is going to come from fruit like that sumach out by the road, or from apples, weeds, sawdust – almost anything,” he said. “There is fuel in every bit of vegetable matter that can be fermented. There’s enough alcohol in one year’s yield of an acre of potatoes to drive the machinery necessary to cultivate the fields for a hundred years.” – Henry Ford
Ford knew the capabilities of Hemp, Ford crafted his first car using hemp in the body, he took a chopping maul and used it to demonstrate just how tough it really was, hitting the backside of the car. He also knew what Hemp could do for the economy-were it to be used, if even for some of it’s uses. But, what would have happened to certain emerging industries that didn’t want to go down because of hemp?
