Hemp cultivation. It was very widespread among crops, thanks to its properties of adaptation to any terrain and thanks to the ease with which the flower bloomed. There are numerous products that were born from it once collected and processed, such as textile fibres, paper, fodder and other edible products for livestock. All this was produced from the leaves and seeds.
During the period of Italian textile flourishing, it was the first manufacturer in the world to serve the British navy with its workmanship.
During the First World War, however, the use of synthetic substances took away the lustre of hemp, and it was only in the Second World War that the trade in hemp was resumed, thanks to its moderate costs. In addition, more raw materials were required (containing a lot of cellulose), from which explosives could be obtained, producing Nitroglycerine.
In the 1930s, there was a return to the use of hemp. Henri Ford, He built a prototype car, in which part of the body was made of hemp fibre, making the car much lighter and the engine ran on hemp ethanol.
But how did we arrive at the definition of Marijuana?
The story you are about to read is incredible, because the Hearst newspaper chain produced newsprint through industrial processes that required huge amounts of chemical solvents, harmful to humans. Products, which were supplied to them by the Du Pont chemical industry. Cannabis, because of these aggressive products, was cited as the cause of crimes reported in the news of the time, thus changing its name to Marijuana, a Mexican name chosen specifically to create unease between the United States and Mexico, just returned from a border war. An enemy country for an enemy name that began to frighten the population that until then had used and known hemp in various ways.
In this regard, in 1973, a law was passed prohibiting the cultivation of any type of hemp, including industrial or medicinal purposes.
