Hemp: A History Lesson

by David Scott

An Advanced Summary of Chapter 1: History in Cannabis Medicine by David Bearman, M.D. Learn how you can get your FREE copy today!

Cannabis sativa L., including varieties of hemp, have been cultivated across the world over the past 10,000 years to align with the nutritional, nutraceutical, entheogenic, social, and prescriptive demands of their day. Interestingly enough, the “self-defensive” evolution of the plant has proven essential in relation to the medicinal benefits to humans, including cannabinoid and terpene profiles. Beyond these medicinal benefits, hemp was also cultivated for fiber and seeds to make paper, textiles, oils, and foods.

The first written recordings of herbal medicines, including cannabis, occurred between 1065 and 771 B.C.E., and overtime the medicinal use of cannabis spread from Asia to Europe until cannabis was banned by the Pope in the 15th Century, labeling it a tool of the devil for its healing properties. Medicinal cannabis was reintroduced to Europe by William O’Shaughnessy after a visit to India in the 19th Century. Cannabis gained so much popularity that it received the royal treatment from Queen Victoria who consumed cannabis to relieve her menstrual cramps. Sir William Osler soon dubbed cannabis “the best migraine treatment,” particularly the relief associated with pain and nausea. Through the 1920s, physicians wrote three million prescriptions every year for remedies containing cannabis, however use dwindled due to inadequate treatment standards and the relatively short shelf life of bioactive cannabis.

Over time, cannabis fell out of favor with Americans as the government sided with booze over bud, big pharma over small farmer, and factory nylon over industrial hemp. However, the past twenty years has seen the slow undoing of restrictions on cannabis in the states and abroad. Over twenty years ago, DEA Chief Administrative Law Judge, Francis Young, suggested that cannabis was “one of the safest therapeutic agents known to mankind...safer than eating ten potatoes.” Unfortunately, this was ultimately rejected by President George Bush and DEA Director John Lawn.

​After a long hiatus, hemp is rebounding in a big way as a new generation of farmers look to cultivate the future. As regulatory constraints continue to loosen, the 2018 Agricultural Improvement Act (aka Farm Bill) established a .3% Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) threshold for the psychoactive component of the plant. According to Richard Schultes, this threshold is arbitrary as there is no botanical science to make a distinction between industrial hemp and medicinal cannabis.

Within the industrial hemp market, a new opportunity is taking form. While industrial hemp products contain only trace amounts of THC and manufacturers must refrain from making unfounded medical claims about additional cannabinoids like Cannabidiol (CBD), there is a whole new wave of research being conducted to help us better understand the industrial hemp plant as researchers explore bioactive properties like terpenes and cannabinoids in addition to valuable fiber, grain, and seed applications.

Rather than blaming the Pope, our government, your body or mind, it may simply be time to seek a whole new approach to cannabis. Industrial hemp products can be some of the best on the market, boosting relaxation without any intoxicating effects. Now that the government is finally coming around, it may be your turn now. Cannabinoids and other bioactive properties have been observed positively interacting with the Endocannabinoid System (ECS), a naturally occurring system within your body that helps regulate various human functions. Consuming the plant and its natural derivatives, may be helpful to individuals dealing with chronic pain, insomnia, anxiety, and cancer along with autoimmune, neurological, and vascular disorders. Make sure you stop by our shop or visit us online to begin the FREE consultation form so one of our personal CBD consultants can follow up with you and find the right hemp-based product for you!