The History of Hemp & Why it Was Banned

Image courtesy of the Hemp Marihuana & Hemp Museum

You may have heard that hemp is one of the most useful plants on the planet and has been used in a wide variety of applications for thousands of years. Growing easily and quickly in just about any climate, hemp strengthens the ground while removing huge amounts of carbon from the atmosphere. Hemp is one of the earliest cultivated plants, with evidence of its farming found as far back as the stone age, and it can be studied throughout history, including the Assyrians, Scythians, and the Kingdom of Judah. 

The hemp crop spread to most of Europe by the Middle Ages, and on to the Americas in the 16th century. In fact, hemp was a necessary ingredient for sea travel as it was used to create sails, rope, rigging, and even hemp caulk for repairs on ships. Most ships sailed with hemp seeds on board including, very likely, the Mayflower. Hemp was such a useful crop that growing hemp was actually mandated in many areas of the world, including the United States and Great Britain. In the U.S. hemp was an acceptable form of tax payment for many decades, and could even be seen on the $10 bill until the early 1900s. So why was something so useful made illegal?

While many might believe hemp was outlawed due to its classification as a narcotic, hemp does not have the same psychoactive effects as cannabis varieties high in THC. That said, cannabis was a common medical ingredient in the 19th century and could even be found in many pharmacies - not surprising since cannabis had been used in medicines for thousands of years. Opium was also a common medicine at this time and people were quickly becoming aware of drug addiction. This led to laws classifying the plant as a narcotic and medicines containing cannabis had to be labeled as “poison.” In 1906, the Pure Food and Drug Act (precursor to the Federal Pure Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act still used today) further tightened restrictions on cannabis cementing it as a dangerous narcotic drug. There was no distinction between hemp and cannabis at that time, so hemp was considered a dangerous narcotic as well.

In 1910, as the Mexican Revolution started a wave of Mexican migration to the U.S., new immigrants brought cannabis as it was a cheaper alternative to alcohol (also no hangover!). Smoking cannabis gained popularity. During this same era innovations from the Industrial Revolution were decreasing the need for hemp crops. Unfortunately, racism-fueled fear of the plant increased through the 1930s. 

Harry Anslinger, a man considered racist even for the time period, was married to the banker and politician Andrew Mellon’s niece. Mellon appointed him as the first commissioner of the Treasury Department’s Federal Bureau of Narcotics in 1930. Anslinger ran large-scale advertising campaigns demonizing cannabis, including the propaganda film Reefer Madness. He was supported by yellow journalism pioneer William Randolph Hearst, who was well known for sensationalist journalism techniques that favored preying on people’s emotions over factual reporting. Anslinger specifically targeted people of color, especially those in the Jazz community. He even went after Billie Holiday, going as far as arresting her while she was dying in the hospital for marijuana possession. 

In 1937, the Marihuana1 Tax Act drafted by Anslinger was enacted. Hemp and cannabis became heavily taxed and regulated, and criminal convictions began. Growth and usage of hemp dropped considerably. 

It wasn’t just Harry Anslinger’s misguided beliefs that aided in the passing of the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937. Though its popularity had faded in recent decades, hemp was being touted as a billion-dollar crop and was looking at a major comeback as developments showed its many potential uses. New machinery like G.W. Schlichten’s decorticator would make harvesting of the crop easier than ever. Hemp would have disrupted the fuel, textile, plastic, and paper industries that Industrialism created. Additionally, Andrew Mellon was heavily invested in DuPont Chemical which was creating synthetic materials like nylon, and hemp was in competition with his interests. Similarly, William Randolph Hearst, the newspaper magnate, was deeply invested in the forestry and paper mill industries. Hemp, a faster-growing and more sustainable alternative to trees, would have deeply impacted his industrial pursuits. There is no direct proof that these powerful men purposely stopped the development of hemp for their own gain, but we can be sure the paper, chemical (including plastics), and synthetic textile industries have caused lasting detriment to the planet that we must now work to fix. 

By the time the United States entered World War II, we were importing most of our hemp from the Philippines. The war brought an end to those supply chains and the country had to ask farmers to start growing hemp once again, though with a special permit, in order to support the war effort. The resurgence was temporary and by the late 1950s taxes and threats from the government stopped farmers from growing hemp once again. 

In 1970, Richard Nixon started “the war on drugs” and passed the Controlled Substances Act which prohibited all use of cannabis, including hemp. For close to fifty years, there was a complete prohibition on the growth of hemp in the United States. Finally, in 2018, the Hemp Farming Act was incorporated into the Farm Bill and it differentiated hemp from cannabis by classifying hemp as cannabis with less than 0.03% THC, and therefore no longer a controlled substance. 

In the last few years, the growth of hemp has once again boomed. Many are growing hemp for CBD which has become an incredibly popular ingredient in the food, drink, beauty, and health industries. However, hemp is frequently touted as a plant with at least 25,000 uses. From textiles to building materials and even biofuel and plastics, we are learning that we can use hemp as an alternative to many products, especially ones that are negatively impacting our climate. Hemp is a planet-friendly, sustainable, high fiber plant that was a daily staple before it was prohibited. With new knowledge and technology, we are making great strides in improving daily life with hemp once again. 

1. While not widely used today, this is the correct spelling of the law.