irst papers ever produced were apparently made from hemp fiber (Rosenthal 88). Until 1883, from seventy five to ninety percent of all paper was made with cannabis hemp fibers, some which were maps, money, Bibles, and even newspapers. The first and second drafts of the Declaration of Independence were written on hemp paper. The second draft is the actual draft that was agreed upon on and released on July 4, 1776. A few weeks later, Congress ordered the Declaration to be copied on to a parchment of animal skin (Herer 7). In fact, China was the first ones to cultivate and use hemp. With their ever-increasing interest in the written word, the Chinese developed the first paper industry. The famous writings of Confucius and Lao Tzu were transcribed on hemp paper to be handed down through time (Roulac). This shows us that hemp can be utilized in place of our greatest natural resources, but some people do not want this to happen. One of the reasons that hemp is not used in the United States could be that the timber industry would tend to lose a lot of money. Weyerhaeuser is the biggest supplier of timber in the Northwest, and if trees were replaced as the main source of paper, then they would undoubtly lose millions of dollars in revenue. Who’s to say they couldn’t change their product to hemp? I’m not saying that people can’t make money off of this, just that it should be looked at as an alternative. Small farmers could profit from hemp cultivation also. Many farms are going bankrupt today because they can’t sell their crops. Hemp is considered a fast growing plant, as it can reach its full height in ninety days. This will allow more planting in one season than just one. Since hemp requires little to no fertilization or pesticides it will greatly improve the ground it is planted in and also protects against any poisoning of our wildlife. Dr. Lyster Dewey of the United States Department of Agriculture wrote in the ...
