Welcome to the first installment of Ohiocannabis.com ‘s new ongoing series “The Second Coming of Cannabis.† Each week we will take a closer look at cannabis, its past, its present, and its future. It is an exciting time for all cannabis enthusiasts and proponents, especially here in Ohio. We have made great strides in recent years, from decriminalization to the legalization of medicinal marijuana. Cannabis, and the industry and culture surrounding it, continue to move into the mainstream consciousness of everyday people.
With the recent passing of Ohio Senate Bill 57, known by its short description, “Decriminalize hemp and license hemp cultivation,†another milestone for the resurgence of cannabis looks to be in reach. This bill would allow for the industrial cultivation of hemp and for the production and sale of CBD and other hemp derivatives. It would also take effect immediately, unlike similar bills that have a 3-month waiting period after being signed into law by the Governor, and also allow the sale of CBD products outside of dispensaries. [1]
So with all this excitement about hemp we thought we would take a closer look at hemp and CBD and how we got to where we are now, with it possibly being re-legalized and making a comeback.
Hemp, known as cannabis sativa, is one of the fastest growing plants. It is one of the earliest known plants to be cultivated by humans, and is believed to be one of the first plants to be spun into usable fiber at least 10,000 years ago. It has a variety of industrial uses and, “can be refined into a variety of commercial items including paper, textiles, clothing, biodegradable plastics, paint, insulation, biofuel, food, and animal feed.†[2] Â
Hemp also has a long history of cultivation and use already in the United States. Hemp was well known to our founding fathers and George Washington pushed for the growing of hemp by farmers as a cash crop because of its many applications.  Other presidents known to have farmed hemp include, “Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, Zachary Taylor, and Franklin Pierce.†[2]
So we can safely say hemp was kind of a big deal in our nation’s past. So what happened? The reasons for its demise and demonization in society are murky and there is no one smoking gun that we can point to. It is known however that the arrival of synthetic textiles and fibers, specifically DuPont’s nylon, in the 1930s played a huge role in erasing hemp from farms and our collective memories. In 1937, DuPont and other wealthy American businessmen lobbied to have the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 passed that effectively destroyed the hemp industry.[2]
That is until recently. With cannabis and hemp being legalized for medicinal, industrial, and recreational use, new studies are being published at breakneck speeds showing the uses and benefits of the cannabis plant. Our society has rediscovered the magic wonder plant that is cannabis and is rediscovering how useful it is. That’s why the current bill making its way through Ohio’s legislature is so important, it will effectively re-legalize the farming of hemp and legalize the sale of its derivatives, like CBD, and our society can continue to rediscover and find new uses for this wonderful plant.
Although hemp (cannabis sativa), like all species of cannabis, contains the psychoactive component tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), it “…has lower concentrations of THC and higher concentrations of cannabidiol (CBD), which decreases or eliminates its psychoactive effects. [2] We at Ohiocannabis.com have been excited about CBD for a long time, and we are as thrilled as ever that is may soon be available for the countless people that can benefit from its use.
CBD was discovered in 1940 and is one of 113 identified cannabinoids in the cannabis plant and accounts for up to 40% of the plant’s extract. In 2018, clinical research on cannabidiol included preliminary studies of anxiety, cognition, movement disorders, and pain.†[3] New research is being done all the time and has shown that CBD has great efficacy in treating these and other ailments and disorders. Specific research has been done that shows CBD is effective in the treatment or management of anxiety, crohn’s and other digestive diseases, cancer, epilepsy and seizures, arthritis, PTSD, and migraines.
At Ohiocannabis.com we also believe in the benefits that cannabis and its derivatives can provide to people. We will keep you up-to-date with any new information as it becomes available about research being done about CBD, marijuana, and the progress of the current hemp bill. We also urge you to visit the government’s website to read more about the hemp bill, and also to contact your local representatives and voice your opinion on the importance of this bill.
https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/legislation-summary?id=GA133-SB-57
Be kind babies.
For more info on the bill please continue to read our newsletter and visit our site at Ohiocannabis.com for all the up-to-date info.
Sources:
- https://www.cleveland.com/open/2019/06/bill-legalizing-industrial-hemp-cbd-products-to-hit-ohio-house-floor.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemp
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabidiol
Written by ohiocannabis.com contributor Sassy Lunchbox, sassylunchbox420@gmail.com