To really understand the relationship between the United States and hemp, It is best to start at the beginning. Let’s take a journey before Alcohol Prohibition and even before antebellum times. What do you find? With the magical ability that we have today with having the capability to look up anything, I’m sure you have found copious amounts of overwhelming information. Some information may be confusing and yet, even flabbergasting. If you have found the correct information, you might have come up with the conclusion that we have all been lied to about the truth of hemp.
This country, in fact, this whole world has been bamboozled. If you don’t find yourself as upset about this as I am, then this probably isn’t the right article for you. However, if you are interested, then you will find a lot of useful information that will be, not only conducive to a healthier life but also conducive to gain a better understanding of the foundation of hemp.
Before the arrival of the first settlers and before the experiment call America, there was the Native Americans. History has shown that the Natives were one of the first to learn how to cultivate hemp, other than the Chinese who were believed to have used hemp dating back to 4000 BC. Even Africa was known to use hemp for various ailments, such as dysentery and fevers. Anyhow, The secret of hemp was then passed on from the Natives to the first settlers of this great country.
The Trend did not take long for people to catch on. Virginia, Massachusetts, and Connecticut all mandated that farmers begin producing hemp immediately, or as quick as they can. Trade of hemp between America and England was becoming a normality. For, England used hemp to produce clothing, shoes, maps, books, parts for ships such as ropes, parachute webbing (which came later), baggage, sails, and tents. Hemp was even used as legal tender to pay towards your taxes! This was all fine and dandy until the war began, but we know how that outcome ended. So, no need to get into that. Now back to hemp.
After America broke free of Great Britain's grasp, hemp progressed even further. Prestigious characters such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew hemp on their plantations. Even Benjamin Franklin started his own paper mills with hemp. Get this, the first drafts of the Declaration of Independence were written on hemp. Need I say more?
Well, if you are still not convinced on why hemp should be legal, let me continue. In 1841 Congress passed a law that ordered the Navy, yes the Navy, to purchase hemp from domestic farmers. This is also when technological innovations revolutionized the industry. It wasn’t until the 1930’s when this country became a little squirrely on the idea of legal hemp.
1937, is when Marihuana Tax Act was implemented and when the American farming and hemp turned for the worst. If you dig deep enough you will find that there was also some influence and pressure towards the government that came from William Randolph Hearst, Lammot du Pont, and Williams good friend Harry J. Anslinger who had ties with the not only the federal government but also the pharmaceutical companies. For Lammot he had a lot invested in the nylon industry and hemp would have destroyed that for him. William and Harry also had a lot invested, but not in the nylon industry. They had invested in the paper mills and they both wanted control over what was said in the newspaper. This was where the word Marihauna came from. Which, William and Harry both used this to create propaganda for influencing the readers to believe that hemp and marijuana were both bad and used by Mexican immigrants. Their sole purpose was to create reefer madness and to totally dismiss factual scientific evidence. After that, there was little hope. There was an article published in 1938 stating that hemp was going to be a billion-dollar industry. This sparked little motivation until World War 2. With lack of supplies, the government turned to farmers once again and between 1942 and 1946 hemp was produced by the tons. I’m talking 42,000 tons! But, this hemp re-birth was quickly shut down after the war. Since then, just like marijuana, it has been extremely controversial to even talk about, or to even mention without being criticized. Thankfully, “times they are a changin”. Now let’s get in-depth with the health benefits of hemp.
One of the first published papers about the benefits of hemp oil, or also known as CBD, was published back in 1839. A physician by the name of W.B. O'Shaughnessy wrote that hemp oil worked for the treatment of rabies, rheumatism, epilepsy, and tetanus. He also reported that a tincture of hemp and alcohol taken orally was found effective for analgesic (which means relief of pain). Imagine, where would we be at today if this level of understanding continued through instead of being snuffed out?
Now, that there has been a little bit of leniency in the most recent years, more studies have been done. The studies and findings that have been rediscovered are truly amazing. Some might even say that it is a saving grace. One of the biggest studies was conducted back in 2013 regarding CBD for use in patients with epilepsy. 162 patients were part of this study and what was found was that CBD worked just as well as the patient's current epilepsy medications. This study had also shown that seizures were reduced by 36%. But, wait! There is more.
Recently, there have been more studies surrounding the use of CBD oil for cancer treatment. Not only have the studies shown that CBD can block cancer cells from spreading, but suppress the growth of cancer cells and even promote the death of these cells! So, if CBD is useful for epilepsy and cancer, what else is CBD useful for?
As more and more studies are being conducted, the possibilities almost appearing to be endless. One of the top benefits that have been found is pain relief, which CBD has also been proven to reduce inflammation. Even those patients with arthritis found relief from using CBD. Have you thought about quitting smoking, or even trying to quit opioid use? Great! CBD is here for you because it has been proven to reduce the side effects of withdrawal. Studies have also shown that CBD use can be effective towards helping with PTSD, anxiety, depression, OCD, and even insomnia. CBD has even been proven to reduce inflammation in the pancreas for those out there with diabetes. Treatment for acne and Alzheimer's have also appeared on the radar with CBD use. The study for Alzheimer’s and CBD has shown that CBD could potentially prevent people in the early stages of Alzheimer's from losing their ability to recognize the faces of people that they know.
Currently, in 2018 the fight to keep CBD alive and legal is still continuing. More information about the use of CBD is being discovered daily. For those of us out there that are fighting for what we believe in, we will never stop. Just remember, CBD is a compound found in hemp. Hemp is a separate plant from a marijuana plant. The two do have their similarities when it comes to health benefits and some marijuana strains do have CBD within them, but they are different in many ways. If you were to take anything from this article, I would like it to be this. CBD has been the foundation of this nation and even the world long before we were around. It is comical and criminal to deny what is rightfully all of ours. All of the information that I have elucidated within this article can all be found online.
