FINALLY, WE MAY INVESTIGATE CENTURIES-OLD USES FOR HEMP

Finally, we . . .

AMID the fear over allowing hemp, or cannabis, to be grown in New Zealand,
people often overlook the fact the plant has been grown for industrial
purposes for thousands of years. The Chinese are believed to have first made
paper from hemp about 2000 years ago. New Zealand Customs officials have
been cleared to negotiate a start to hemp trials but Government approval
would be needed to grow it commercially ( ODT , 28.7.00).

. . . may investigate . . .

ADVOCATES of the crop point out its wide variety of industrial uses. Green
MP Nandor Tanczos attracted widespread publicity this year when he had a
suit made of hemp, but the plant has been used for clothing for centuries.
It can be woven into many grades, from canvas to fine linen. With the right
processing, hemp can be made softer than cotton and, some say, more
absorbent. Towels, nappies, baby clothing, upholstery fabric, table linen,
casual clothing and high quality linen wear are all potential hemp uses.

. . . centuries-old . . .

BEFORE the 1800s, hemp, rather than wood, was commonly used for making paper
and at the start of the last century there were thoughts of using hemp for
newsprint. Soon after World War 1, American newspaper magnate Edward Scripps
became interested in a machine that processed the long, tough hemp fibres
into fine grade newsprint, but for various reasons it never progressed.
Since then, technology has improved - there are hemp paper mills in China
and India - and one reader's idea ( ODT letters, 24.7.00) of using the
mothballed Mataura paper mill to trial and make hemp paper may not be as
far-fetched as some might initially believe.

. . . uses for . . .

UNFORTUNATELY, whenever cannabis is mentioned, most of us tend to think of
only one hemp variety - the mind-altering type, usually from India (
Cannabis Indica ). But there are other varieties practically without
psycho-active properties which have industrial uses. Britain lifted its ban
on industrial hemp cultivation in 1993. It can be used as a useful companion
crop, but the main use there is for livestock bedding. Other hemp uses are
quite impressive and extensive - as fire resistant material, in fibreboard,
concrete reinforcement, as a paint additive (it is said to improve viscosity
and paint strength) - just to name a few.

. . . hemp

THE link between hemp, clothing and paper is illustrated in a macabre story
about British paper manufacturer Robert Fletcher and Sons which at the end
of World War 2 bought Nazi concentration camp uniforms made of hemp and
turned them into rag paper.

(snip)