The Billion Dollar Crop

Hemp can be considered a 'super-crop' that has been grown worldwide for at least 12,000 years.  Before the USA began its campaign to suppress the hemp industry Popular Mechanics magazine called it the 'billion dollar crop'. Benjamin Franklin owned a mill that made hemp paper, George Washington grew hemp and Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence on hemp paper. The 1937 Marijuana Tax Act of America put an end to the bourgeoning hemp industry by outlawing the growing of every genus of Cannabis Sativa. Britain and other leading nations followed soon after. A propaganda campaign demonising hemp as a dangerous narcotic was instigated by vested interests in industries threatened by the raw materials created by hemp. This helped create a global addiction to a variety of environmentally damaging products and technologies including fossil fuels, synthetic fibres and wood. The consequences of this are being realised now as environmental damage and climate change are approaching a possibly irreversible tipping point.

Hemp - The Come Back

Hemp made a brief appearance during World War II when US sources of "Manila hemp," (a genus of the banana plant), were cut off by the Japanese. The US Army and US Department of Agriculture promoted the "Hemp for Victory" campaign to grow hemp in the US. Following the war, the campaign against hemp was reinstated. The 1961 United Nations Single Convention Treaty specifically allows cultivation of hemp for industrial purposes, and the more recent NAFTA and GATT international trade agreements recognize hemp as a valid agricultural crop. These international agreements form the basis for the current reintroduction of industrial hemp. Interests within the US are still resistant to hemp, confirming its status as super-crop.

Hemp has been one of Englands oldest crops. Under the reign of Henry VIII it was ILLEGAL not to grow a small amount of Hemp. All the towns and counties with Hamp or Hemp in their name were actually hemp growing areas, eg Southampton, Hemel Hempsted, Hampstead. The British Navy used sails made from hemp derived canvas - a dutch word for hemp - the only fabric that did not disintegrate in salt water thus allowing Britain the advantage of exploring the world. After the war, it emerged that the allies had agreed certain conditions prior to the US entering the war. Britain banned hemp growing, while France, which was occupied during the war, continued to produce hemp and has a relatively advanced industry. Hemp growing became legal again in the UK in 1993, Germany followed in 1996 with Canada in 1998. The hemp revival that was expected in the late 1990's was not realised at the levels expected. However, with solid growth in Germany and Canada, hemp is finally emerging and being recognised as a potential solution to key global challenges.