by
Paul
Benhaimthe hemp seed harvest on a regular basis prior to prohibition in
1930s.
George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew cannabis on their
plantations. Jefferson, while envoy to France, went to great
expanse and even considerable risk to himself and his secret
agents to procure particularly good hemp seeds smuggled illegally
into Turkey from China. The Chinese Mandarins (political rulers)
so valued their hemp seeds that they made their exportation a
capital offence.
The Chinese Character ‘Ma’ was the earliest name for hemp. By
the 10th century, Ma had become the generic term for fibres of all
kinds, including jute and ramie. By then, the word for hemp
became ‘Tai-Ma’ meaning ‘great hemp’.
The war between America and Great Britain in 1812 was mainly
about access to Russian hemp. Napoleon’s principal reason for
tragically invading Russia in 1812 was also due to Russian hemp
supplies.
The Japanese continue to use ground hemp seed, known in
Japan as ‘ONO MI’ as a traditional condiment called shichimi, a
spice mix often added to ramen noodles.
In Australia the seed was used during two famines in the 19th
century.
80% of English wood pulp is imported, destroying the forests and
their delicate eco-systems in Canada and Scandinavia.
A hemp crop produces nearly four times as much raw fibre as an
equivalent sized tree plantation. Trees take approximately 20
years to mature. Hemp takes four months.
Hemp needs no pesticides because it is unpalatable to most
insects. Hemp needs no herbicides because it grows too quickly
for any weed to compete.