Liam Hemp has not always been as discredited as it was these days. In the 18th century, hemp was even considered a miracle plant. At that time, industrial hemp was so valuable that you could not only pay your taxes with it, but also buy yourself free from military service. The reason: Hemp was considered one of the most valuable raw materials and could not only be used for the production of medicine. Papers were also made from it, and paints and varnishes were made from hemp oil.
Hemp was also used for the production of clothing, ropes and ropes. The diverse raw material flushed money into the coffers. However, it could do little against the increasingly powerful forest owners. Although hemp has a natural protection against pests and weeds and is therefore extraordinarily high-yielding and easy to care for, it has increasingly been replaced by wood cellulose. Today hardly any paper is made from hemp, although in the past great painters like Vincent van Gogh valued hemp paper and used it for their works. From then on, other materials were also used for the manufacture of clothing and ropes.
THC less harmful or maybe even healthy?
One thing in advance: yes, his too Proponents of hemp in the 18th century were familiar with its intoxicating effects. However, it was used less as a drug than for medical purposes. With the help of hemp, pain relieving juices were made. A blessing at a time when medicine was still in its infancy compared to today. Even now, after a long period of shadowy existence and the struggle of its supporters, hemp is slowly finding its way back into medicine. It is now known that hemp, for example, alleviates the suffering of cancer patients and is also helpful for Tourette and Parkinson’s disease can be. What helps medically here is the same active ingredient that is responsible for the intoxication.
Tetrahytrocannabinol, or THC for short . How exactly THC works has not yet been fully clarified. However, it is known that THC attaches itself to various receptors in the body of a mammal, including humans. This triggers feelings of happiness, relaxation, a reduction in pain, but also feelings of euphoria and distorted perception. From a medical point of view, THC is quite interesting, as it also has an inhibiting effect on the spread of cancer cells, on spasticity, on vomiting and the like.
Legal, prohibited, partially legalized again
In the 1930s, however, the THC content of hemp became a point of attack for the media. Hemp fell into disrepute under the colloquial name of marijuana or hashish, and has been linked to rising crime rates among teenagers who allegedly all used marijuana. What followed was the nationwide ban on the cultivation of hemp in general. It was only lifted again in 1996 – at least for industrial hemp, i.e. hemp seeds with no or only a low THC content.
