Cannabis: A Brief History
The History and Origin of Hemp
Hemp is an ancient plant, having roots from several thousand years ago to around 10000 BCE, being considered one of the earliest agricultural plants. Its original roots were in what is modern-day China, first discovered by Archeologists who saw it used in pottery and ancient hemp rope, the first rope. A wondrous plant that is similar to bamboo in that it grows with extreme speed, maturing within four months, is sustainable, and has a wide range of uses from medicinal to clothing to bindings to construction to oil to food.
A drawing of Cannabis Indica featured in O’Shaughnessy’s written piece, Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal
Fast forward about 8000 years and the Indians revered it as one of their five sacred plants (basil, sandalwood, jasmine, and lilac being the other four) and a religious item, calling it the sacred grass due to its attempts at approaching a higher level of consciousness, having a close relation to Lord Shiva (the Hindu Great God).
Hemp then begins to slowly see itself move westward, towards the Mediterranean where the Romans were notorious for using it extensively. They again utilized it for a myriad of uses, related to pain relief and more. Arab nations, later on, built the technology to convert hemp fibers into paper. Eventually, it found its way into the Dark Ages and Middle Ages of Europe and was used as a cure-all for diseases ranging from breathing issues to removing tumors.
It also was used to make many paper products in Germany, as it was durable and cheap to produce. Without hemp, the Gutenberg printing age might have occurred somewhat differently. Moreover, being the important crop that it was in the 1500s, King Henry VIII of England went to lengths of issuing fines to farmers who would not grow hemp.
As the age of exploration began, Hemp became a convenient crop to include during transport, such as expeditions overseas. It found its way first to South America around 1500CE. The colonies soon followed their British brethren and made hemp a staple crop to grow. In this day and age, 1600sCE, It was the law that anyone who could grow hemp, was forced to.
Unfortunately, right around the time, the founding fathers founded the United States of America, having the industrial revolution start soon thereafter, producing different types of materials to make hemp production seem outdated. The age of steam was upon the world and hemp, a common material used on boats and transportation, was no longer needed, as it was soon replaced with new-age industrial materials.
Another blow to the industry occurred as the replacement of hemp oil to light lamps was switched to whale oil, which was then replaced with the precursors to gasoline, such as kerosine. Even with technological marvels occurring at such a rapid pace, hemp production still continues to grow stronger, as both World Wars saw an actual increase in the hemp industry and output.
Hemp in the US and the War on Drugs
So what happened? Why is hemp now regarded as something devious and illegal? Politics, publicity, and racism seem to be the ones that are to blame. Short-term memory of past historical events in collective consciousness plays a factor as well.
Hemp is often related to the drug marijuana and in the early 1900s, in the US, the first drug raids occurred towards Mexican Americans who were known to smoke it as a way to relax. Several campaigns began to criminalize marijuana and numerous states started passing laws to make it more difficult to obtain, in the case of California – considered it a poison when consumed. In an interesting twist, consumption increased as an alternative to alcohol during the prohibition era.
Then in the late 1930s, the Marijuana Tax Stamp was passed as a further way to control the substance and make it even more illegal. In a contradictory setting, during the Second World War, a documentary called "Hemp for Victory" was produced to promote the production of Hemp once again – regardless of its byproducts.
This continues on, as more legislation is passed and the criminalization grows and the propaganda intensifies. As other drugs enter the US stage, cannabis gets thrown into the same lot as them, every time getting more and more illegal.
The War on Drugs
In 1970, cannabis became known as a controlled substance and hemp production stopped. It was a class I substance and was illegal, even for medicinal purposes, for both industrial hemp and marijuana. More and more people were being arrested for smoking marijuana, and there were even instances where most of the arrests occurring were in minority neighborhoods, keeping up with the trend of Mexican Americans being targeted at the turn of the century.
The sentencing for being caught with cannabis was by far severe, unfathomable to some today, decades of jail time were being assigned to those having a personal amount.
Taken after the Mexican Revolution of 1911, the Mexican revolutionary leader Pancho Villa (1878-1923), left, sits in a chair in the woods with fellow soldiers. Many of Pancho Villa’s soldiers were indigenous Yaqui Indians who were known to enjoy their ‘motas’ (marijuana cigarettes: or joints).
1950’s Robert Campbell Bragg wrote “Marijuana Girl.” The tale of fictional high-schooler Joyce Taylor’s introduction into the marijuana underworld after she’s kicked out of school. Marijuana Girl is still available on Amazon today.
Please note, this image does not display CBD laws, and instead displays the legality of Delta9THC, a federal schedule 1 drug.
The Shift of Hemp Acceptance
In 1996, California - the same state that originally called Hemp related products poison, was the first state to legalize it for medicinal use. In 1998 – The United States began to return to importing food-grade hemp seeds and what we now know as CBD oil. In 1999, New York City led the way for the Global Million Marijuana March. It was one of the largest events and truly began to pave the way for a future with Hemp. It was the beginning of the shift, as the criminalization of what was categorized as smoking a natural plant was coming more and more into the spotlight. As we headed into the early 2000s we saw more legal action being taken and beating the Drug Enforcement Agency in court, allowing for the sale of hemp-related foods and body products.
The first license to grant farmers the right to grow hemp again occurred in 2007. By 2012, the states of Washington and Colorado allowed for the legalization of marijuana for recreational use. Then, during the Obama Administration, the Farm Bill of 2014 paved the way even further enabling farmers to grow hemp for research and medicinal purposes. This bill was not specific enough and several years passed until better clarification could occur. This bill was improved upon in 2018 to remove Hemp and anything related to off the controlled substance list.
More and more states have joined the trend, and the Hemp business is on the rise, not only in the United States but globally as well, gaining traction as a multibillion-dollar business.
CBD oil has exploded in popularity and hit the market with eagerness as well. Its major usage has been for relaxation and more and more U.S. users are starting to use it for arthritis as well. It is also known to help with stress and anxiety and reduce blood pressure. There is even a growing segment in the pet industry, where more and more products are being produced with hemp-related products.
Hemp has a fascinating if not contradictory history, both in the US and globally. It’s aided our civilization from the dawn of time, with uses in animal feed, construction, medicine, textiles, and oil.
All in all, hemp has much more to offer than being a scheduled drug.
While there is much ground to cover, we hope you enjoyed this piece of ancient and contemporary hemp history.
By all means, continue with us in our journey, together, in the Hemp Industry.
Thank you,
Leafy Productions ♥
