The rise and fall of hemp
The very diverse uses of hemp – as in many countries of the world – were also known in the United States of America and were used in many industries, from the textile industry to the food industry to the pharmaceutical industry. One of the founding fathers of the USA, Benjamin Franklin, obliged farmers to grow hemp on a certain portion of their land and process it. They produced so much hemp later, that they even used the oil from its seeds to fuel tractors. Pharmacies were full of various hemp preparations, which were mainly used to treat neuro-degenerative diseases, inflammatory conditions, loss of appetite; the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America and early dollars were also printed on hemp paper, the famous Levi’s 501 jeans were made of hemp.
The dynamic development of the American hemp industry was broken in the 1930s by petroleum and the plastic and clothing industries, cosmetics and pharmaceutical lobbies based on it. Hemp has become an enemy of petroleum-based products – nylon, plastics, cosmetics and medicines: certain business interests have launched a large-scale attack against the hemp. They managed to get politicians, judges and even the Hollywood film industry itself (https://www.vulture.com/2011/04/hollywoods-10-most-ridiculously-unrealistic-weed-scenes.html) on their side and for years consistently through his attack, this interest has achieved a decline in the cultivation of hemp, the production of hemp-based products and innovation in the hemp industry almost all over the world.
In 1937, Congress passed the Marijuana Tax Act, which significantly restricted the cultivation of hemp in the United States. By 1970, alongside heroin and LSD, hemp was classified as a No. 1 drug.
The rediscovery of hemp
The rediscovery of hemp as a versatile crop in the 20th century. started in the second half of the century in Western European states. The dynamic spread of synthetic fibers was followed by the realization that the production of petroleum-based plastics is not environmentally friendly and that clothing made from synthetic fibers is less comfortable to wear than clothing made from natural ones. The furniture industry started to use the inner woody part of hemp, the shiv, as a substitute for wood. To replace plastics, researchers discovered the world of biocomposites. The combined use of natural fiber raw materials with biologically degradable matrix materials (e.g.: polylactic acid – PLA) opened the way for the production of more versatile and sustainable products. In 1941, Henry Ford made a car body from hemp-based plastic, which was much lighter than steel and ten times more resistant to external influences. The car was powered by clean-burning ethanol obtained from hemp.
Hemp shiv is starting to be used as a building material in many parts of the world. Made from a mixture of hemp shiv, lime, water and certain naturally-derived binders, hemp concrete construction material can be used to build breathable and excellent heat-insulating infill masonry for lightweight houses.
CBD found in hemp was discovered in 1942 by an American chemist named Roger Adams. CB1 receptors were discovered in 1990 and CB2 receptors a few years later in 1993. While growing hemp was illegal in the United Kingdom and the United States for most of the 20th century, the United Kingdom re-legalized hemp cultivation in 1993.
CBD was made legal in the UK in 2016, providing all products contain less than 0.2% THC. In 2018, the USA again legalized the cultivation of industrial hemp, and with it CBD products, provided that they contain less than 0.3% THC.”