- Although they come from the same plant, Cannabis sativa, as the drug cannabis, hemp and cannabis are not the same thing. They come from different strains of the species which have different properties. Cannabis has much higher levels of the psychoactive chemical tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) than hemp does. You can't get high from smoking hemp, especially since hemp also contains another chemical which renders THC useless.
- Hemp can grow in a variety of climates and is happy to grow four inches away from another hemp plant. Cannabis, on the other hand, needs a carefully controlled, warm, and humid atmosphere for proper growth and to be about six feet away from another plant. If the two are ever grown in close proximity, they will cross pollinate and the resulting plants are less psychoactive.
- Hemp is one of the earliest plants to have been cultivated. The earliest written references to hemp production date back 5,000 years, in China, although it was probably grown in ancient Egypt.
- Hemp is an extremely useful plant, but it has suffered from the reputation of its psychoactive cousin. Legal systems, notably in the USA, completely banned hemp along with cannabis in 1970.
- Which is actually extremely ironic when you consider that: as well as early maps and Bibles, the first drafts of the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution were written on hemp paper; that Betsy Ross's flag was made from hemp; that several presidents including George Washington used to grow it; in the 17th and 18th centuries, not only was it legal to pay taxes with hemp in the US, but it was actually illegal NOT to grow hemp if you were asked to.
- Another common historical use of hemp was to make ropes and sails for ships. Hemp rope was susceptible to rot, however, so the rope would be coated with tar, which is the origin of the nickname “Jack Tar” for a sailor.
- 80% of all textiles were made from hemp until the invention of the cotton gin in the 19th century. That would include sails, bed linen, curtains, clothes and artist's canvases. Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Gainsborough, and many other artists of the period painted their masterpieces on hemp linen. In fact, the word “canvas” derives from the Middle English word “canevas” which in turn comes from the Latin word for cannabis.
- It would seem that if the world's governments could only get over the fact that hemp and cannabis are related and make it legal to grow hemp, hemp could actually save the world. For one thing, the seeds are rich in protein and would make an excellent alternative to meat. They are also rich in calories and make an ideal food for people suffering from malnutrition. Not only that, but hemp can remove toxins and radioactive chemicals from the soil; it can be used to make Paper and other products made from wood pulp so less trees need to be cut down – a single acre of hemp can produce the same amount of paper a year as four acres of trees. It's a sustainable crop with a short growth cycle, and can even replace some plastics. Hemp consumes four times as much CO2 as trees do, so it can fight global warming as well while it's at it.
- The leading producer of hemp is France, which produces more than 70% of the world's output. The United Kingdom and Germany resumed commercial production in the 1990s, although as yet, most of the hemp grown in the UK gets used as bedding for Horses.
- You can make cars and even aeroplanes from hemp. Henry Ford’s first Model-T was built of hemp and was designed to run on hemp gasoline.
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