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The Hemp Revolution (videotape review)

Source: Sierra v. 83 (Mar./Apr. ’98) p. 97-8

Author: Liza Gross

George Washington grew it.

Thomas Jefferson urged others to grow it. So how did hemp earn its rep as Public Enemy Number One? Australian director Anthony Clarke traces the much-maligned plant’s history from its revered status in ancient Sumeria to its modern-day vilification.

No stranger to U.S. foreign policy (his Panama Deception won the 1993 Academy Award for best documentary), Clarke now aims his lens at domestic policy, examining the political, economic, and cultural forces behind hemp’s prohibition in 1937 and its censure in the War on Drugs. A vast gallery of archival footage, photos, and paintings traces hemp’s historical and often surprising uses—it was listed in a Chinese pharmacopoeia 5,000 years ago, U.S. military uniforms were made out of it, and pioneer wagons were covered with it. “Few plants in the world have been as useful,” says physician and best-selling author Andrew Weil. “Yet merely being in the presence of the plant is a criminal offense.”

The demonization of hemp, Clarke argues, had nothing to do with the psychoactive effects of cannabis and everything to do with the petrochemical industry’s desire to monopolize the textile and paper markets. While DuPont was patenting processes to make paper from chemically treated wood pulp, and nylon and plastics from oil and coal, the hemp industry was on the verge of becoming a billion-dollar-a-year business. DuPont did not welcome the competition and called for hemp’s prohibition, aided by William Randolph Hearst, who ran lurid news accounts linking marijuana to violent crimes, and U.S. Commissioner of Narcotics Harry Anslinger, who pushed to find jobs for federal agents unemployed after the repeal of alcohol prohibition in 1933.

Clarke interviews scientists, inventors, and entrepreneurs around the world studying hemp’s potential as a source of food, fiber, seed oil, and fuel. Because hemp spares forests and produces minimal pollution, they say, it’s a superior alternative to the petroleum- and timber-based textile, paper, and fuel industries. What’s more, because hemp is insect-resistant, substituting it for bug-prone cotton would greatly reduce the need for pesticides.

Despite a rocky past, hemp products (made from foreign-grown fiber) are enjoying a renaissance. Though they sometimes cost more than their conventional equivalents, it seems a small price to pay to avoid reliance on chemicals and vanishing forests. And the prospect of an ecologically sound industry giving timber and oil companies a run for their money is enough to lift your spirits, naturally.

Added material.

The New York City Sierra Club Film & Video Festival (April 17, 18, 19) showcases films, speakers, and panel discussions covering environmental issues worldwide. For more information or to rent films from last year’s program, call (212) 869-1630.

New From Sierra Club Books

The Corporate Planet: Ecology and Politics in the Age of Globalization by Joshua Karliner. A timely investigation of how transnational corporations cause environmental ruin in the global economy.

Track of the Tiger: Legend and Lore of the Great Cat edited by Maurice Hornocker. An intimate look at the grand feline, in a gallery of color photographs, with essays by naturalists dedicated to its protection.

Thunder of the Mustangs: Legend and Lore of the Wild Horses edited by Mark Spragg. From the mesas of Mexico to the Badlands of the Dakotas, follow the galloping vagabonds in dramatic photos and essays by famous mustang friends.

The Sierra Club Guide to the Natural Areas of New England by John Perry and Jane Greverus Perry. An authoritative guide to more than 350 sites on a million acres for camping, hiking, birding, fishing, skiing, and riding. Completely revised, updated.

Order these titles from the Sierra Club Store by phone, (800) 935-1056, through our website, www.sierraclub.org/books, or by writing 85 Second St., 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105.

Siren Entertainment, $29.95; (03) 9429-9555.

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