INTERESTING HISTORICAL FACTS ABOUT HEMP
Believe it or not, hemp was one of the first industrial plants in history. According to the Columbia History of the World, an ancient piece of cloth was believed to have been created by man in 8,000 BC.
Hemp’s importance to our early ancestors was made even more clear in 1500 BC. An ancient Hindu text known as ‘The Vedas’ described hemp as on of the five essential plants.
By 1151 AD, the first paper miss was operating at full force on the Iberian Peninsula. Soon, Spain started using hemp as a bartering mechanism. They soon became the largest producer in Europe. The French used hemp to create tents and awnings and the Romans were using it for medicine. It soon became a valuable commodity that was traded across Europe, Asia and the Americas.
HEMP COMES TO THE AMERICAS
In 1619, the colony known as Jamestown declared a law that every farmer must grow hemp. Massachusetts and Connecticut soon followed suit.
In fact, you could be jailed in colonial Virginia if you didn’t grow hemp on your land. By 1776, America became an independent nation dependent on hemp.
In 1850, the Us Pharmacopeia listed hemp as a botanical plant used in formulas to help patients. Cannabis was a regular ingredient in many over-the-counter remedies at the local pharmacy.
HEMP BECOMES ILLEGAL
But, all the good news was about to end. In 1937, the federal government passed the Marihuana Act. This legislation imposed a heavy tax on any product that contained this common fiber. Except for a brief reprieve during World War II, the ban on hemp has been in place.
Hemp and marihuana were lumped together as cannabis plants and in the 1970’s, they were both classed as schedule 1 drugs, along with heroin, cocaine, and meth.
HEMP MAKES A COMEBACK
In 2014 and again in 2018, the federal government enacted the Farm Bill, making it hemp with less than .3% THC legal to grow. Because of the demand for the medicinal advantages of CBD, derived from the hemp plant, we are seeing a resurgence in the production of hemp.
Today we can find CBD oil in a variety of locations. However, one must be careful where they buy the CBD as many of the options available may not have the amount of CBD they claim and they may add some harmful ingredients. Buy from a trusted source such as Eden Organics in Ammon.