First of two parts
Hemp has a variety of reactions from a variety of individuals, and, there is a lack of information and understanding.
The Hemp Industrial Association wrote the following article of its history:
“Hemp is among the oldest industries on the planet, going back more than 10,000 years to the beginnings of pottery. The Columbia History of the World states that the oldest relic of human industry is a bit of hemp fabric dating back to approximately 8,000 B.C..
“Presidents Washington and Jefferson both grew hemp. Americans were legally bound to grow hemp during the Colonial era and early Republic.
“In 1937, Congress passed the Marijuana Tax Act which effectively began the era of hemp prohibition. The tax and licensing regulations of the act made hemp cultivation difficult for American farmers. The chief promoter of the Tax Act, Harry Anslinger, began promoting anti-marijuana legislation around the world.
“Then came World War II. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor (in Hawaii) shut off foreign supplies of “manila hemp” fiber from the Philippines. The USDA produced a film called ‘Hemp For Victory’ to encourage U.S. farmers to grow hemp for the war effort. The U.S. government formed the War Hemp Industries Department and subsidized hemp cultivation. During the war, U.S. farmers grew about a million acres of hemp across the Midwest as part of that program.
“After World War II ended, the government quietly shut down all the hemp processing plants and the industry faded away again.
“During the period from 1937 to the late 1960s, the U.S. government understood and acknowledged that industrial hemp and marijuana were distinct varieties of the Cannabis plant. Hemp was no longer officially recognized as distinct from marijuana after the passage of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) of 1970, despite the fact that a specific exemption for hemp was included in the CSA under the definition of marijuana. The recent federal court case HIA vs. DEA has re-established acknowledgement of distinct varieties of Cannabis, and supports the exemption for non-viable seed and fiber and any products made from them.
“The U.S. government has published numerous reports and other documents on hemp dating back to the beginnings of our country,” the report concluded.
The Guardian reports: “Rob Jungmann wants to see everyone in a hemp T-shirt by 2020. That’s the tagline for his hemp-loving company. Jungmann, the conservationist and entrepreneur, wants to convince Americans that hemp should be in their wardrobes as much as cotton.
“And his campaign comes at the right time.
“A petition will be delivered to Congress urging them to pass the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2015/2016 (S.134 and H.R. 525), legalizing the cultivation of industrial hemp in the U.S.. Although Betsy Ross sewed the first American flag with hemp fibers and George Washington grew hemp at Mount Vernon, Va., the fibrous plant, often confused with marijuana, became illegal during the prohibition era, 1919-1933, when politicians tried to regulate pharmaceuticals.”
Despite the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, there’s a lot you don’t know about that T-shirt.
Marc Gunther writes: “Marijuana and hemp both come from the same species of plant, Cannabis sativa. Once it was discovered the plant’s flowers can have psychoactive effects, cultivators began growing separate strains of the plant, one normal variety, and one whose flowers contained higher levels of the cannabinoid tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), leading to tighter regulation.
“Today, 30 countries around the world allow farmers to grow industrial hemp, China being the largest producer and exporter. Canada, which produces hemp for food and toiletries, legalized the crop in 1996. The U.S., on the other hand, has restricted hemp production and categorized hemp in Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act, attributing it as a relative of marijuana.
“Jungmann refers to this period, from prohibition to 2014, when hemp was completely outlawed, ‘as a dark time in U.S. political history.’ That, however, is changing.
“As of March 2016, more than half of the 50 states have laws that allow for some hemp production, according to this chart. Yet, many states, such as California, where Jungmann is based, will only allow for industrial hemp cultivation when federal law coincides with state law. That is, when Congress passes a bill permitting industrial hemp across the U.S.. Currently, Jungmann imports his hemp from China, but he’s confident Congress will pass the bill legalizing industrial farming of hemp this month.”
Continued next week