How times change, During World War II, the U.S. government actually made a film explaining all the great uses of hemp and encouraged farmers to grow as much as possible. You can watch the film and learn more HERE. The film, produced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, extols the benefits of hemp. During the war, the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 was lifted briefly to allow for hemp fiber production to create ropes for the U.S. Navy. But after the war hemp quickly reverted to its illegal status. And the story goes back further than that. You know who got rich way back in the day growing hemp? George Washington, the cherry tree dude.
So what is hemp? Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a variety of the cannabis sativa plant species that is grown specifically for industrial use. It is one of the fastest growing plants and was one of the first to be spun into usable fiber thousands of years ago. But “drug warriors” spread a fake message – that hemp is marijuana – a Schedule 1 drug worse than Fentanyl. It doesn’t matter at all that hemp doesn’t get people high. This is the kind of drug war schizophrenia that mades federal law enforcement so insane that they actually spent years trying to ban a US government “buy war-bonds!” campaign during WW2.