The history of hemp cultivation in North America begins in Port-Royal, Acadia (present-day Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia), in 1606, when French botanist Louis Herbert planted the first crop on the Eastern shore. Hemp cultivation soon spread westward across the country, as burgeoning settlements experimented with harvesting and production. Hemp was one of Canada's first agricultural exports when the fibre was sold to Britain and France for use in their navies. It was common practice for tracts of land to be issued to settlers in Canada on the provision that they grow hemp.
Three years after Halifax was established the Governor of Nova Scotia announced in April of 1752 that a bounty would be offered to settlers who grew hemp. A notice printed in Toronto in 1849 announced the proprietors McGee and Dew were prepared to pay cash for 1,000 acres of hemp straw, 10,000 bushels of flax seed, and 1,000 acres of flax straw. These materials were intended for export to Britain as supplies from Russia had been cut off due to war.
As the 20th Century approached, hemp cultivation was an established Canadian industry, with mills in Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and British Columbia. In the 1930's, Mr. Howard Fraleigh of Forest, Ontario had developed a successful and profitable hemp processing business. Having designed and built specialized harvesting equipment, Mr. Fraleigh had a state-of-the-art fibre separation mill in full operation.
In April of 1938 the Federal Minster of Health, C.G. Power amended the Opium and Narcotics Control Act to classify all varieties of Cannabis as a regulated substance. It was the intention of the government to control the production of marijuana, a variety of Cannabis known to produce THC, the psychoactive ingredient. However, because hemp is also a variety of Cannabis, grown for the fibre and seeds it was also prohibited, even though it contained virtually no THC. The similar leaf shape for all varieties of Cannabis resulted in hemp suffering from a case of mistaken identity, as the government did not differentiate between hemp and marijuana. Thus the cultivation and processing of hemp ended in Canada. However a small acreage was grown during the Second World War near Ottawa and Manitoba for cordage and cloth. Some research was carried out in the 1950's and 60's to observe fibre content in the stalks and oil profile in the seeds. Mean while hemp cultivation continued throughout China, Europe and Russia.
Then in 1971 Dr. Ernie Small of Agriculture Canada Grew 350 different strains of Cannabis on the experimental farm in downtown Ottawa. Dr. Small found there were very different varieties of Cannabis, classifying them as fibre and narcotic types. The point of distinction was set by the level of THC in the leaves and flowers, and Dr, Small concluded that varieties containing less than 0.3% THC were suitable only for industrial applications such as fibre and seed.
In June of 1994 Hempline Inc. planted five varieties of hemp on 10 acres of land near Tillsonburg, Ontario. This was made possible after extensive lobbying to secure a special permit from Health Canada, marking the first private sector hemp research project since the 1940's. The renewed interest in hemp caused Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to write a comprehensive report titled "Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) Bi-weekly Bulletin Vol.7 No.23 - December 16, 1994.
In the following years, numerous research projects were initiated across the country focusing on variety and fertility trials for hemp fibre and seed production. At the same time legislation was being drafted to allow for the commercial production of hemp again in Canada.
In the spring of 1996 Geofrey G. Kime, President of Hempline Inc. appeared before a Senate committee to request that hemp fibre and stalks be removed from the definition of Cannabis as defined under Bill C-8: The Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. Senator Lorna Milne, a member of this committee was impressed by the presentation and worked to ensure the amendment was adopted. On June 21, 1996 Bill C-8 received Royal Assent by the Federal Government, and on May 14, 1997 Bill C-8 officially became law; with the result that hemp fibre and stalks were no longer regulated and the Minister of Health Canada now had the power to implement a commercial licensing system for hemp cultivation. On March 13, 1998 Health Canada implemented commercial licensing regulations, allowing Canadian farmers to grow hemp once again, a little over sixty years after they prohibited it.
In the summer of 1998 close to 5,000 acres of hemp was planted across Canada in almost every province of the country.
Various sources
With thanks to Hempline Inc.
HEMP AS A SOLUTION.
If all fossil fuels and their derivatives, as well as trees for paper and construction, were banned in order to save the planet, reverse the greenhouse effect and stop deforestation; then there is only one known annually rendered solution! HEMP Credits: Jack Herer 2003 |