Just a very brief look into the history of hemp.

It’s believed that hemp originates from Asia, there are records of hemp being cultivated on a large scale 4500BC in China. The Chinese would spin the hemp and use it for clothing, fishing nets and rope. The first medical records regarding cannabis are from around 2000 years later, it was used to treat rheumatism, gout, malaria, among other disorders.

Hemp travelled from China to Arabia, the Greek philosopher Herodote wrote about the plant. He describes the use of cannabis during rituals, through burning it. From China and Arabia the plant was passed all around the world, Europe obtained its first hemp plants from India, and ‘hempe’ first appeared in the English dictionary in 1000AD.

Its common belief that the Americas first received hemp from the Spaniards. Columbus’s ships used rope manufactured from hemp and the ships sails were also manufactured from hemp cloth. The spread of hemp in the Americas was fast and on a large scale to keep up with the demands of the clothing and shipping industries. In the 17th century hemp was used as money around the American colonies.

Government views on hemp have changed dramatically throughout history. Look back to 1791 and President Washington set duties on hemp to encourage domestic industry, soon after Jefferson was calling hemp "a necessity", and urged farmers to grow hemp as a replacement for of tobacco. And since that date hemp farming has been an on/off process throughout the world.