When you take a look back at Hemp History, from its first traces in China to its place in society today, it tells a fascinating tale. Industrial hemp has been in the news a lot in the past few years, but usually not in a good light, due to its illicit cousin, marijuana.
Hemp and marijuana are both members of the cannabis family, but there is a vast difference between their tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, levels. THC is the psychoactive ingredient that gives the high in marijuana. Hemp contains less than 0.3 percent of it. Visually, however, the two plants look the same, which has caused the seizure and destruction of many hemp crops.
The politics surrounding hemp can tell a most convoluted story, as can its history. The first use of hemp dates back 10,000 years, to China, and hemp was brought to the Americas by the Spaniards in the 1500’s. In many countries, including the U.S. and England, it was once mandatory for farmers to cultivate hemp. Now farmers are required to have a license to grow it.
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