Although the term "hemp" usually refers to the fibers of Cannabis sativa, it is often confused with marijuana, an intoxicating resin secreted by the epidermal glands of this plant. Industrial hemp is bred to increase the yield of fiber, seed, and/or oil, whereas marijuana varieties are bred to maximize their narcotic qualities.
Cannabis sativa is the first plant known to have been domesticated, and it has been cultivated for at least 12,000 years. Evidence of hemp farming has been found in Asia, Africa, Europe, South America, and North America. For much of its history, hemp has been valued as a source of food and fiber and it is one of the oldest sources of textile fiber. Hemp fiber is long, strong, durable, and very resistant to decay and abrasion. In addition, hemp is more absorbent and mildew resistant than cotton. These qualities made it ideal for sailcloth, twine, rope, nets, and webbing during a time when voyage by sea was an important method of travel -- in fact, "canvas" is a derivative of the word "Cannabis." During its heyday, hemp fabric was also used to make military uniforms, shoes, and parachutes.
Several factors, such as the introduction of synthetic fibers and the decreased demand for sailcloth and rigging, led to the gradual discontinuation of hemp cultivation. In the United States, industrial hemp was grown until the 1950s. According to the North American Industrial Hemp Council (NAIHC), hemp "was doomed by the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, which placed an extremely high tax on marijuana and made it effectively impossible to grow industrial hemp. While Congress expressly expected the continued production of industrial hemp, the Federal Bureau of Narcotics lumped industrial hemp with marijuana, and its successor, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), does to this day." Hemp is still cultivated in South America, Eastern Europe, and Canada but it currently constitutes only about 1% of the natural fiber market.
Environmental concerns have brought a renewed interest in hemp as a eco-friendly rotational crop. The mission of the NAIHC is to encourage the DEA to remove industrial hemp from its classification as a drug, and to reintroduce hemp as a farm crop in the United States. Hemp is very hardy, and it grows in a wide variety of climates and soil types. It is drought resistant and does not require a long growing season. Moreover, hemp plants grow tightly spaced and outgrow competing weeds. After harvest, the roots remain and the leaves are retiled into the soil, improving the soil nutrients and preventing topsoil erosion. Hemp can also be used in place of wood fiber for paper, thus saving forests for watersheds and wildlife habitats and, ultimately, helping to reduce global warming.
Refinements in the processing of hemp fiber mean that the texture of high quality hemp fabric is now indistinguishable from fine linens, making it a comfortable choice for clothing and bedding. Interestingly, fabrics that are composed of at least 50% hemp fiber block the sun's ultraviolet rays more effectively than other fabrics. Hemp fabric of varying weights is also used for upholstery, bags, sacks, and tarpaulins, and hemp is becoming popular as a carpeting material.
So, why all the hype about hemp? Far from being a harmful substance, hemp has many of the qualities that make it an excellent choice for environmentally friendly living.
About the Author
Virginia Newton is co-founder of Natural Home and Fitness, a retail website offering earth-friendly furniture, home decor, yoga props, and meditation accessories made of sustainable materials, such as organic cotton, hemp, kapok, buckwheat, natural latex and recycled polyfiber.
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