Canada’s Cannabis Journal since 2010
By Ted Smith Many years ago we started writing cannabis carols and published a small colouring booklet full of our favourite songs. Until last year a group of us would march around downtown Victoria singing cannabis carols and hot-boxing City Hall. Unfortunately that tradition has died out and we will no longer be trying to […]
By Ted Smith In 1916, the USA Department of Agriculture published Bulletin #404, announcing to the world an important new discovery in hemp processing. This discovery should have lead to a huge wave of interest in hemp, but ironically it was the trigger that lead to Reefer Madness as I will discuss in a later […]
By Diane Walsh Why Not Hemp Paper? Half of the world’s forests have been cut to make paper from wood. Sad, don’t you think? Here’s something you can do about deforestation. Seek out an alternative—fibre sources derived from hemp, that are fresh tree-free. Though not widely publicized, the hemp paper market does exist. It […]
By Ted Smith By the end of the 1800s, hemp had fallen from the top of the fibre world. Cotton, flax, jute and other crops had chipped away at the dominant position hemp held in agricultural world trade. Ironically, the strong fibers in the hemp plant made it difficult to harvest and process, something economically […]
In the 1800s, hemp was a vital part of everyday life in America. Indeed, one could speculate that settling North America would have been much more difficult if it were not for the high quality rope, paper and canvas that was made from hemp. From the sailboats that brought Europeans across the ocean, to the […]
by Ted Smith One of the dilemmas in the cannabis movement in Canada has been the tension that is occasionally felt between medical and recreational cannabis users. We must learn to work together more often if we want to see change happen. That does not mean we should all have the same agenda, but we […]
(image:Hempcrete.com) By Diane Walsh For enthusiasts, it’s all about cementing the power of the industrial hemp movement right into people’s homes. You might ask, squinting one eye, and jutting forward to re-read…Hempcrete? Say what! When it comes to hemp, the ranges of uses (including food, clothing, rope, paper, soap, cosmetics, and even fuel) are well-known. […]
Hemp was very important financially and physically to the settlers of America. The fibre was used for rope, canvas and paper, making it highly sought after by old European countries seeking global domination by sea and those on the new frontier. While cotton is often thought to be responsible for the rich fortunes of early […]
By Ted Smith There is little doubt the most important crop in the founding of America was hemp. Used for canvas and rope on the British sailing ships, importing hemp fibre was critical to the ambitious monarchs of the UK. Growing hemp to support the British navy was so valuable that from 1631 to the […]
By Ted Smith Relying upon sailboats to expand trade and conquer territories meant the English had to gain access to large amounts of hemp rope and canvas. Since being raided by the Romans, canvas sails made from hemp and hemp rope became very important for their navy and commercial fleets. While most of this hemp […]