Our Hemp History

6000BC

Records show hemp seeds and oil were also used as a food source in China, and in 4,000 BC textiles made from hemp have also been found in the same region.
From <https://thegreenfund.com/the-history-of-hemp>

2350BC

It was recorded in the Shu King, an ancient Chinese book, that Chinese soil was filled with hemp, with some cases of hemp being woven into clothing. Beyond food and fashion, hemp even served
as a tool for warfare in China, woven into bowstring in for soldiers bows. These first 4,000 years of proven hemp use were limited almost exclusively to China and parts of the Middle East, before the plant eventually found its way to India.
From < https://thegreenfund.com/the-history-of-hemp>

1200BC

Hemp arrives in Europe. It is believed that hemp made it to Europe in approximately 1,200 BC and from there, it spread throughout the ancient world.
From < https://www.totalhemp.co.uk/history-of-hemp/>

570

In France the use of Hemp for clothing started to increase in popularity. Queen Arnegunde of France was buried in clothing made of Hemp.

<A surprising lesson on the history of hemp! (unitedhempstore.com)/>

1000

7000 years later after what we think is the earliest known use of hemp, the word “Hempe” was first listed in the English Dictionary.

<A surprising lesson on the history of hemp! (unitedhempstore.com)/>

1455

During the middle ages, hemp became an important crop of enormous economic and social value supplying much of the world’s need for food and fibre. Sailing ships became dependent on canvas
(from the word cannabis), hemp rope and oakum due to it being 3 times stronger than cotton and resistant to salt water.
From < https://www.totalhemp.co.uk/history-of-hemp/>

1533

It was the law! In the UK, in 1533 Henry VIII passed an act compelling all landowners to sow 1/4 of an acre or be fined. During this period hemp was a major crop and up to the 1920’s, 80%
of clothing was made from hemp textiles.
From < https://www.totalhemp.co.uk/history-of-hemp/>

1600s

Hemps popularity grew in the 17th century, arguably its biggest period of expansion within the UK. At the turn of the 17th century hemp was a key material used by the British Navy for sails, ropes, rigging and clothes. This stayed true until the introduction of engine propelled war and trade ships.
From < https://biosante.co.uk/history-of-hemp-in-the-uk-the-uks-history/>
< https://www.civilized.life/articles/the-history-of-marijuana-in-britain/#:~:text=By%201533%2C%20King%20Henry%20VIII%20actually%20issued%20laws,dominating%20motive%20behind%20England%E2%80%99s%20colonization%20of%20the%20world. />

1616

Jamestown, first permanent English settlement in the Americas, grows hemp to make ropes, sails and clothing.

<History Of Hemp In The US | Hemp History – Ministry of Hemp/>

1776

When Thomas Jefferson wrote his first drafts of the Declaration of Independence, he wrote it on paper made from cannabis hemp fiber. Congress ordered the Declaration of Independence be copied and engrossed on parchment (a prepared animal skin). This was the famous document signed by the delegates on August 2, 1776. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both grew hemp, manufactured clothing and rope from the harvest.
From < Declaring Independence Like Jefferson, Hemp Helped Make AmericaWealth Wave (wealth-wave.com)/>

1820

Edward Allen Talbot, Esq., while living in the Canadas during the 1820s, wrote that if Canada produced enough hemp to supply Britain, this would end their dependence on a foreign power
and greatly benefit Canadian settlers.
From <https://www.totalhemp.co.uk/history-of-hemp/>

1840

Abraham Lincoln uses hemp seed oil to fuel his household lamps.
From <History Of Hemp In The US | Hemp History – Ministry of Hemp/>

1914

The $10 bill was printed on Hemp paper and the reverse has an image of Farmers Plowing Hemp.

From <1914 Ten Dollar | Coin Talk/> <A surprising lesson on the history of hemp! (unitedhempstore.com)/>

1917

Although hemp played a major role in the early development of North America, it was eventually overshadowed by cotton. Hemp harvesting was extremely labour-intensive. When the
invention of the mechanical cotton gin at the end of eighteenth century made it easier to process cotton, hemp could no longer compete. Traditionally, Hemp was processed by hand which was very labour intensive and costly, not lending itself towards modern commercial production. In 1917 American George W. Schlichten patented a new machine for separating the fibre from the internal woody core (‘Hurds’) reducing labour costs by a factor of 100 and increasing fibre yield significantly.
Mr Schlichten and his machines disappeared, not surprisingly!
From < https://www.totalhemp.co.uk/history-of-hemp/>

1930

The main crisis for hemp arose in America during the 1930’s due to propaganda created from companies with vested interest from the new petroleum based synthetic textile companies and
the large and powerful newspaper and lumber barons who saw hemp as the biggest threat to their businesses. The 1930s coalesce unsurprisingly, with DuPont patenting their new “plastic fibre”. By the 1930s, new machinery, which separated the fibre from the rest of the plant, was available and affordable.
From < https://www.totalhemp.co.uk/history-of-hemp/>

1937

In September 1937, the United States government, under the influence of the lobbying of synthetic textile companies (like DuPont) and several other powerful groups who saw hemp as a big
threat to their businesses, proposed prohibitive tax laws, and levied an occupational excise tax upon hemp dealers.
From <https://www.totalhemp.co.uk/history-of-hemp/>

1938

The Canadian government, following the American lead, prohibited production under the Opium and Narcotics Act on August 1, 1938.
From <https://www.totalhemp.co.uk/history-of-hemp/>

1942

World War II provided a new opportunity and the 1942 Japanese invasion of the Philippines cut the U.S. off from their major source of imported hemp. To meet the demand for war production, the U.S. and Canadian governments lifted the restrictions. Until the end of the war, farmers with special permits grew hemp to supply the war effort. To encourage farmers to grow hemp during this period, the United States Department of Agriculture released the film “Hemp for Victory”.
It stated, “In 1942, patriotic farmers at the government’s request planted 36,000 acres of seed hemp, an increase of several thousand per cent. The goal for 1943 is 50,000 acres of seed hemp.” This lead to over 400,000 acres of hemp planted throughout the Midwest and Southeast.
From <https://www.totalhemp.co.uk/history-of-hemp/>

This is one of the most eye opening videos around of how hemp used to be. If you do anything on this timeline, watch this video. Hemp For Victory (1942)

1964

Dr. Raphael Mechoulam discovered the THC cannabinoid.

1971

In the UK, cultivation licenses are issued by the Home Office under the Misuse of Drugs Act, allowing hemp cultivation for non-drug purposes and referring to the plant as industrial hemp.  

From <A brief history of hemp – WholyMe/>

1992

Dr. Raphael Mechoulam discovered the first endocannabinoid (Anandamide)

2007

The first hemp licenses in over 50 years are granted to two farmers in North Dakota.
From <History Of Hemp In The US | Hemp History – Ministry of Hemp/>

2018

The 2018 Farm Bill affirms the 2014 Farm Bill and confirms the removal hemp and its derivatives from the Controlled Substances Act.

After failed attempts to pass hemp-specific laws, an amendment to the Agricultural Improvement of 2018 (a.k.a. the “Farm Bill”) legalized hemp in the U.S. Pres. Trump signs the bill into law on Dec 20, 2018. This amendment removed the hemp plant, along with any of its seeds and derivatives from the Controlled Substances Act.

A huge win for the hemp industry!

From <History Of Hemp In The US | Hemp History – Ministry of Hemp/>

2020

Dr Raphael Mechoulam discovers Cannabidiolic Acid Methyl Ester (EPM301)
This is more powerful than CBD and THC. This discovery could lead to a whole new chapter in cannabis history once again from Dr Mechoulam.