COULD HEMP BECOME THE CROP OF THE FUTURE?

Yesterday I went into detail about the ropemaking industry which was
centred around the fishing centres here in Yarmouth and Lowestoft. The raw
materials for this were mainly supplied by East Anglian farmers and were
hemp and, to a lesser degree, flax, the growing of which both the climate
and soil favoured, but farmers were reluctant growers primarily because
food crops were more profitable.

Indeed in times of national emergency, such as war, in the days when our
fleet was powered by sail, if became a punishable offence for farmers not
to grow hemp on a set acreage of their arable land, as it was needed for
making canvas and ropes.

Today, if a farmer grew hemp without a licence he would be in considerable
trouble with the drug squad.

Though just why, I am at a bit of a loss to say, for it is estimated that
you would have to smoke the leaves from about 25 acres of a farmer's crop
grown in our climate before you began feeling the effects.

Grown under natural conditions, the ratio of male to female plants is
roughly even, but because the male plants die off after producing pollen,
it will be only the female plants you will observe if you come across a
crop of hemp.

And you could hardly miss seeing them, for they grow to about 12 feet tall
given favourable conditions.

These are grown for their long tough fibres which you will find lying
immediately under the bark or rind of their stiff, hollow stems.

You will also notice that these run in continuos lengths from the base of
the plant to the very tip. The fibres are at present used to make high
quality paper, and, rather ironically, cigarette papers and also tea bags
as well as canvas and rope.

The world's main suppliers were Yugoslavia and Russia, both of which are
now unfortunately in turmoil and in no position to supply us, so I expect
we will be finding that some farmers will be applying for licences to grow
these currently valuable crops in order not only to satisfy our industrial
needs, but also to keep their farms viable.

If this is the case, coupled with the fact that our climate is becoming
warmer, the maturing plants could, as temperatures increase, start
producing what is known as bhang in India, hashish in Egypt, and marijuana
here.