“Hemp” is also a name for the Cannabis plant and is one of the earliest domesticated plants known to mankind. The word “hemp” is English for over 400 varieties of the cannabis plant, particularly the varieties like “industrial hemp” that were bred over time for industrial uses such as fuel, fibre, paper, seed, food, oil, etc.

Hemp (cannabis hemp) is one of the oldest and most versatile crops in the world. Cannabis hemp is native to Central and South Asia. Both early Greek history and modern archaeology show that Central Asian peoples were utilizing cannabis 2,500 years ago. The war between North America and Great Britain in 1812 was mainly about access to Russian hemp. Napoleon’s principle reason for invading Russia in the same year, 1812, was due to Russian hemp supplies.

Hemp can be used as a “mop crop” to clear impurities out of wastewater, such as sewage effluent, excessive phosphorus from chicken litter, or other unwanted substances or chemicals. Eco-technologist Dr. Keith Bolton from Southern Cross University in Lisemore, South West  Wales, Australia, is a leading researcher in this area. Hemp is being used to clean contaminants at Chernobyl nuclear disaster site.

Since Ancient History, hemp seeds, stalks and flowers have been used for nutrition, the seed oil is rich in essential fatty acids. Approximately 44% of the weight of hempseed is healthy edible oils, containing about 80% essential fatty acids (EFAs); i.e., linoleic acid, omega-6 (LA, 55%), alpha-linolenic acid, omega-3 (ALA, 22%), in addition to gamma-linolenic acid, omega-6 (GLA, 1–4%) and stearidonic acid, omega-3 (SDA, 0–2%). Proteins (including edestin) are the other major component (33%), second only to soy (35%). Hempseeds amino acid profile is close to “complete” when compared to more common sources of proteins such as meat, milk, eggs and soy. The proportions of linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid in one tablespoon (15 ml) per day of hemp oil easily provides human daily requirements for EFAs. Unlike flaxseed oil, hemp oil can be used continuously without developing a deficiency or other imbalance of EFAs. This has been demonstrated in a clinical study, where the daily ingestion of flaxseed oil decreased the endogenous production of GLA. Hempseed is an adequate source of dietary fiber, calcium and iron, and contains antioxidants and chlorophyll. Whole hempseeds are also a good source of phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, copper and manganese. Hempseed is usually very safe for those unable to tolerate nuts, gluten, lactose, and sugar. In fact, there are no known allergies to hemp foods^. Hempseed contains no gluten and therefore would not trigger symptoms of celiac disease. The seeds can be used as food and fodder for livestock, and can be processed to produce hemp oil, that may be used as a food or fuel as well.

Hemp can be grown in most climates, is drought resistant, requires little fertiliser, minimal pesticides or herbicides, and has a range of industrial purposes.. The fibres from the stalks boast an unusually high tensile strength, leading to incredibly high-quality, durable and wearable clothing items. Hemp fibre is one of the softest and most durable fibres produced by any natural product. Hemp seed oil is said to burn the brightest of all lamp oils and has been used for millennia.

The stalks provide fibre for textiles, clothing, rope, paper and building products. The bulk of the woody stalks can be used for paper, animal bedding, and plastics. The hemp plant biomass can be used to produce fuel. Anything that trees/timber can be used to produce, hemp can produce and more, including house construction. The oldest relic of human industry is a bit of hemp fabric dating back to approximately 8,000 BC. It was found in Mesopotamia and was mentioned in Assyrian scripts. By 3,000 years BC, hemp was considered the most important textile, and even in China, where silk production was flourishing, hemp was relied on because it was cheaper than silk and was a strong fibre for clothing. Christopher Columbus carried hemp seed on his fleet for use in case of shipwreck to grow crops for raw materials and for use as a food source. From as early – if not earlier- as the 5^th Century BC up until the late 19^th Century, ship sails and riggings were made from hemp. Hemp is still used on some ships because of its resistance to mildew and weathering and because it remains pliable in extreme conditions where plastic based ropes become brittle and crack. Hempseed is also used as fishing bait.

In the 18th century, as a result of upcoming slavery, cotton became available everywhere and by the 20th century, cotton banned hemp in the textile industry and wood replaced hemp in the making of paper. Hemp was totally banned from the western market. It became a too big concurrent for wood industry.

In 1935 in the US 58,000 tons of hemp seed was used to make non-toxic paint and varnish, but hemp prohibition meant these safe products were replaced with toxic petro-chemical paints and varnishes.

For the first 162 years of America’s existence, marijuana was totally legal and hemp was a common crop. But during the 1930s, the U.S. government and the media began spreading outrageous lies about marijuana, which led to its prohibition. Some headlines made about marijuana in the 1930s were: “Marijuana: The assassin of youth.” “Marijuana: The devil’s weed with roots in hell.” “Marijuana makes fiends of boys in 30 days.” “If the hideous monster Frankenstein came face to face with the monster marijuana, he would drop dead of fright.” In 1936, the liquor industry funded the infamous movie titled Reefer Madness. This movie depicts a man going insane from smoking marijuana, and then killing his entire family with an ax. This campaign of lies, as well as other evidence, have led many to believe there may have been a hidden agenda behind Marijuana Prohibition. Before the US government began promoting reefer madness hysteria during the 1930s, the word marijuana was a Spanish word that was totally absent from the American vocabulary. In the 1930s, Americans knew that hemp was a common, useful, and harmless crop. It is extremely unlikely anyone would have believed hemp was dangerous, or would have believed stories of hemp madness. Thus, the words marijuana and reefer were substituted for the word hemp in order to frighten the public into supporting Hemp Prohibition. Very few people realized that marijuana and hemp came from the same plant species; thus, virtually nobody knew that Marijuana Prohibition would destroy the hemp industry.

Industrial-Hemp has no psychoactive properties following definition of the European Economic Community (EEC); THC content is less than 0.3%. In general, low THC-seed varieties without psychoactive properties are those that have a THC content of less than 1% Delta-9 TetraHydroCannabinol. Industrial hemp or ditchweed simply does not have enough THC for any practical use as a recreational drug. Industrial Hemp is grown quite differently from marijuana. Hemp plants are cultivated inches apart to produce plants with tall stalks. While pot plants are short and spaced a few feet apart to produce bushy, THC-rich flowers and leaves.  Moreover, they are harvested at different times. Marijuana cultivators also try to cull male plants to prevent fertilization of the female plant. Unfertilized females produce more THC, making it attractive as a drug (sinsemilla). In contrast, hemp production typically seeks fertilization to produce seeds.

Hemp production was prohibited in Canada in 1938 under the Opium and Narcotic Drug Act as part of a combined international battle against the abuse of THC and other controlled substances. Although the prohibition was relaxed briefly during World War II when traditional sources of fibres were unavailable, the prohibition was renewed after the war. Since 1961, Health Canada has allowed limited production in Canada for scientific research purposes.

Health Canada has been in charge of Hemp farming in Canada since 1998 which is when the 1938 ban was lifted. It is a strictly regulated practice to ensure no farmer is growing THC active Cannabis in lieu of Hemp. In the 1980s and 1990s, there was increased interest in the cultivation of industrial hemp as a potential source of new jobs in the agricultural and industrial sectors. As well, there was an increased need to develop alternative sources of fibre. Research conducted between 1994 and 1998 showed it could be successfully grown in Canada as a separate entity from cannabis (marijuana). With the demand and encouraging research findings, Health Canada chose to give the agricultural and industrial sectors the opportunity to grow and exploit industrial hemp in a controlled fashion. Laws were amended to allow for the cultivation of industrial hemp.

French bank notes are still produced from hemp paper, grown and processed in a small area of France.