To weed or not to weed... That is the question.
Hemp Through History
Happy Friday, family, and thanks again for tuning in for another Earthly Vibe blog! As all of you know, I am a proud advocate for herbal living*wink wink*. That being said, I feel like there is a big stigma when it comes to reaping the benefits of medicinal herbs such as marijuana aka hemp. I’m good at reading minds so I already know what some of you are thinking, “Here we go, another pothead wanting to spread the word of weed. Excepting everyone can get high and live happily ever after.” Well as much as I would like for everyone to ride on unicorns into the sunset, today I am here to show you how hemp has already made its way into your life as well as history. So, prepare to have your mind blown as we travel back in time through the use of hemp!
Despite the use of THC, the hemp has been used throughout the ages as means of rope, paper, clothing, and etc… in various cultures and regions. The first record of hemp can be traced back to 150 BC, China in the form of paper (Paper made from hemp is known to last longer, and easier to produce than paper made from trees.). Pieces of hemp textiles have been traced to ancient Mesopotamia as far back as 8000BC. Through 850 to 1000 Viking and Italian ships used the strong fibers for rope (hemp rope is three times stronger than cotton, and resistant to salt water), while ancient civilization in Taiwan used the cord to decorate pottery.
Hemp continued to prove its worth as a valuable agricultural product. So much so, in 1533-35 Henry the VIII passed an act for all landowners to dedicate ¼ of an acre to growing the crop for industrial use or be fined. The colonize then brought hemp to the new world, even though natives to the land were already using the herb in everyday life, like the rest of the world.
From there, people all over have continued to use hemp. In World War II, the US government used 120,000 pounds of hemp fiber to rig the 44-gun USS Constitution navy ship. In 1942 the USADA released a short film entitled, “ Hemp for Victory”, to encourage American farmers to grow hemp to help support the war.
So, you see, everyone loves hemp, in other words, weed makes the world go round! So much has changed in such a short time, the only thing to ask now is, “ Why is marijuana still illegal?” But that is a topic for another day. Thank you, guys, again for vibing with me, until next time!
http://www.mit.edu/~thistle/v13/2/history.html
http://www.globalhemp.com/1942/01/hemp-for-victory.html
http://www.farmcollector.com/farm-life/strategic-fibers
http://www.advancedholistichealth.org/history.html
https://www.hempbasics.com/shop/hemp-information
https://www.leafly.com/news/cannabis-101/hemp-101-what-is-hemp-whats-it-used-for-and-why-is-it-illegal
