There should be no necessity for an apology or an excuse for preparing a work upon hemp culture at this time. The hemp plant is the most widely diversified and, commercially and industrially, the most important plant in cultivation in Europe. It was among the first introduced into America, and one of the most extensive in cultivation among the colonists; and there is no good reason existing why it should not, but every reason why it should, today be among the first as the basis of another great and grand national industry, employing hundreds of millions of capital and hundreds of thousands of work-people.
With such words did Samuel Boyce begin his treatise on hemp, written in 1900. They would today serve equally well as an introduction, although the prohibition surrounding hemp today would seem most strange to Boyce; in his day the U.S. government was a proponent of hemp cultivation, taking its cue from early hemp farmers such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
Hemp, with all its benefits, is hard to suppress. Those who do are often fanatical and bigoted, serving the interests of companies that would rather sell plastic than natural products or force a nation to weaken itself by buying oil rather than sensibly growing its own energy supply. It is a frightful concept to visualize, with serious ecological and economic repercussions.
Archaeological record places hemp at 12,000 B.C., from which date consistent use is made of hemp in textiles, cordage, energy, oil, paper, medicine and countless other ways. That history is traced in the first part of this book.
The second part examines the different applications; written by several authors, such as Mina Hegaard (of Minawear Hemp Clothing); or Paul Benheim, (author of H.E.M.P. and consultant to the British government). It is a feature of this book that there are many contributors-from different countries and different walks of life, giving a complete and balanced view of the subject!
As hemp serves many purposes, this is appropriate; no one author could cover all aspects of its use. There is surrounding hemp a great controversy, mostly concerning its medicinal uses, and the fact that some strains known as marijuana are used recreationally.
THC occurs in the flowers and leaves of all strains of hemp, although the small amount present in most varieties is not enough to consider smoking, or, worrying about. It is much a matter of convenience for certain parties to exploit that fact when trying to prohibit all types of cannabis, and sadly, we have been deprived of what we have been given. If we take a look at the products made from cannabis, we see the reason in the argument for hemp, and begin to question the sanity and motives of anyone wishing to deprive us of its benefits.
The how of hemp is examined in the third part; botany, cultivation, processing, and machinery. Much of this is written for those actually working with hemp, and compares notes from hundreds of years of growers and processors. G.A. Berti’s Coltivazione della Canapa (ca.1660) and Robert Wisset’s A Treatise on Hemp (1804) are compared to later works, including the very recent Advances in Hemp Research by Paulo Ranalli and The Cultivation of Hemp by Michael Karus and Dr. Ivan Bósca
Comparison of older methods, employed at a time when hemp was widely grown, with newer techniques, is presented for the purpose of providing balanced views into the growing and processing of hemp. In some instances, modern methods have not been re-developed, and it is well worth studying what was de rigeur before our time; I suspect that in many details, especially in that of retting, those older works will be essential to anyone seriously working with hemp. Sadly, many such tomes are virtually unobtainable.
Part IV The Many Fields of Hemp looks at the topic from different angles-examining its place in art, commerce, language, the environment, books and other niches.
Hemp’s place in commerce, for instance, is explored by Steve Karski, who writes an insightful essay based on his experience as an analyst on Wall Street. It was he who in 1999 foresaw the crash of the techs, based on his studies of oil prices, inflation and liquidity. He was able to advise many on how to weather the recent storms. In his oeuvre on hemp, which was once the world’s most traded commodity, he takes a look at the future and how action or inaction will impact our security.
Technical chapters are also included, explaining cellulose, dioxin, ‘other’ hemps, a bibliography and appendices. Cellulose and dioxin especially deserve mention-the first is the principal substance of hemp, while the latter is a chemical that is present when we replace hemp with harmful products. Dioxin has been accused of causing cancer, miscarriages and other fatal problems; such claims are rebutted by some. What does dioxin do? Is it only a cause of acne, or is it more than skin deep?
The final chapter, a bibliography, compiled from major libraries and private collections, is included to give the reader knowledge of the literature that is available for further reading. Cross referenced it is designed to facilitate the pinpointing of specific subjects.
This work, the culmination of several years of research, would not have been possible without the aid of many parties. First among those are the Mackintoshes, Cindy and Nick, who as my co-editors, caused this project to take form: former employers of mine, their ability to organize and set goals were of utmost importance. All our efforts next received the guidance of William Kingsland, whose proof-reading skills guided this project from his home in New York City. In the book trade Don Conner and Joel Block supplied rare material from which to source.
However much effort went into the writing, formatting and publishing, there is the prior work of earlier sources, without which this book would not have been. Anyone familiar with the modern hemp movement must have heard of the Emperor, by Jack Herer. It was this author who tracked down a wealth of information in the 1980’s, even finding ‘missing’ material in the Library of Congress, and thus a great debt is owed to Mr. Herer on behalf of this present undertaking.
A decade later, John C. Lupien wrote his master’s thesis on the demonization of hemp; a work that explores in detail the history behind the legislation against cannabis, it is his research that has shed much light on the anti-hemp movement. Further, Gerard Colby Zilg provided a wealth of information in his 1974 exposé of DuPont. While not about hemp, it describes the indescribable. It is now a rare book, due in part to the efforts of his subject, whom he took to court for suppressing his freedom of press rights. In 1984 he reprinted his book, with yet more of the sordid history of this corporation.
The title Hemp for Victory is taken from a U.S. government film made in WWII, and it was this film that Mr. Herer, as a U.S. citizen and taxpayer, exercised his right to access. It was Cindy Mackintosh who chose this title in August 2001, and it has proven most appropriate. Many things that have been stated in this book, especially about the use of locally produced natural products versus foreign oil and plastics, have taken on even more significance in the last months of editing.
As a final acknowledgement, I would like to mention Dr. Sezar Fesjian of Manhattan College. It is he who encouraged me to undertake thorough research and to objectively evaluate conclusions in the light of hard facts. |
