Industrial hemp

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History

2700 years before Christ in China, Chinese emperor Shen Nung taught his subjects to grow hemp in both the male and female forms. One of its uses was to make hemp clothing(15 ). Hemp was introduced into Europe about 1500 B.C.(16 ).

The Gutenberg Bible printed on hemp paper, as were most books until the late 19th century (17 ).

Hemp was a major cash crop for the first 150 years of American history. The Declaration of Independence was drafted on hemp paper. Betsy Ross' first flag was also made from hemp( 18 ).

Newspaper publisher and American founding father Benjamin Franklin had a mill that helped him make hemp paper (19 ).

On the medical side Abraham Lincoln's wife used cannabis for her Nerves. (20 ).

A technical report of the America Society of Mechanical Engineers in 1937 noticed the rapidly growing market for Cellulose, "especially in the plastic field, which is growing by leaps and bounds." It was predicted that hemp would meet "A good part of that need" in Feb 1938 popular mechanics called hemp the billion dollar crop(21 ).

An engineering report cautioned in 1937 that "recent floods and dust storms have given warning against the destruction of timber. Possibly, hitherto waste products of flax and hemp may yet meet a good part of that need."(22 ).

During the World War II era the America's supply of hemp was cut off from the Philippines(23 ).

This was no small issue. The plea for hemp went out across America. Pleas like this one "HEMP is a war crop for Iowa. If you'll raise a few acres of HEMP in 1943, it will make you money and you will help save the lives of our boys in the armed services."(23).

These are just a few examples hemp playing a part in America society.