The Global History of Hemp: From Ancient Innovation to Sustainable Future

Long before Hemp became a buzzword in sustainability circles, it was a vital crop grown by civilisations across the globe. From early textile weaving in China, to nutrition in Africa, and innovative construction materials pioneered here in Australia, hemp is a symbol of resilience, regeneration, and resourcefulness. Let’s dive in to hemp’s history; weaving together its ancient roots, colonial entanglements, 20th-century suppression, and 21st-century revival across diverse cultures and continents.

Ancient Roots: Hemp in Early Civilisations

Archaeological records trace hemp’s cultivation back to around 8000 BCE in ancient China, where it was used by the neolithic Yangshao people of Huanghe River  for rope, fabric, paper, and medicine. The Chinese pharmacopeia, attributed to Emperor Shen Nung, described hemp as a valuable plant for healing pain and digestive ailments. In India, hemp or “bhang” featured in sacred Hindu texts like the Atharva Veda, revered for its calming, medicinal properties. Ayurvedic healers used it for inflammation and anxiety. Just as it held both spiritual and therapeutic significance in ancient times, hemp still plays an important role in modern India, especially in the celebration of Shivaratri and Holi.

Meanwhile, ancient Egypt reportedly employed hemp in textiles and medical preparations, while Greek physician, Galen, noted its use in wound care and digestion. Herodotus described hemp steam baths among the Scythians of Central Asia. In Sub-Saharan Africa, although documentation is less formalised, hemp-like plants were used in rope-making, food, and traditional healing, particularly in Ethiopia and along the East African coast. Across these ancient societies, hemp was seen not as a controversial substance, but as a multi-functional crop deeply embedded in everyday life.

Spreading Through the World: Trade, Empire & Culture

As trade routes developed from 500 to 1500 CE, hemp spread widely along the Silk Road and via Arab traders. The Islamic world harnessed it for paper production, helping fuel the Golden Age of science and scholarship across the Middle East and North Africa. In Europe, hemp was indispensable throughout the medieval period. Peasant farmers, monastic scribes, and fishing villages relied on it for cloth, sails, ropes, and lamp oil. The word “canvas” itself is derived from cannabis, and hemp became the fabric of everyday European life. In Italy, regions like Bologna became famous for producing fine hemp textiles, while Eastern Europeans used hemp oil in cooking, particularly during religious fasts.

Hemp in the Colonies: Expansion to the Americas and Australia

By the 16th century, hemp had become a strategic crop, essential to the rise of maritime empires. England, under Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, legally mandated its cultivation to support the Royal Navy. The Dutch, during their Golden Age, relied heavily on hemp for their global fleet. Russia dominated as Europe’s largest exporter of hemp in the 18th and 19th centuries, shipping tonnes of fibre to Britain and France annually. In Spain and Portugal, colonisation carried hemp to the Americas, while the British Empire introduced it to Australia with the First Fleet in 1788, seeking to create a local source of sailcloth and rope for ships.

The Industrial Shift: Decline and Displacement

Hemp’s role in early America was similarly practical. In 1619, by law, required farmers to grow it, and both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson cultivated hemp as a staple crop. But by the late 19th century, its dominance began to fade. The rise of cotton, synthetic fibres like nylon, and industrial materials made hemp less economically competitive. Nonetheless, it remained an important rural crop in many regions, including parts of Africa and Asia.

Hemp at War: World Wars and Temporary Revival

During both World War I and World War II, hemp experienced a resurgence as a vital wartime resource. With global supply chains disrupted and synthetic materials diverted or unavailable, nations turned back to natural fibers like hemp for their strength and reliability. Hemp was used extensively for military uniforms, tents, ropes, canvas, webbing, and parachute rigging. In the United States, the federal government launched a national campaign during WWII called “Hemp for Victory,” encouraging farmers to grow hemp to support the war effort after years of regulatory suppression. The campaign led to the rapid cultivation of over 400,000 acres of hemp in the Midwest.

Similarly, in Australia and parts of the British Empire, hemp was pressed into service for naval rigging and equipment where imported materials were scarce. Though its wartime importance was clear, hemp cultivation sharply declined again after the wars ended, as modern synthetic fibres like nylon regained dominance and restrictive laws were reimposed.

The Backlash: Prohibition and Misinformation

By the end of the 1930s, there was a shift. Corporate and political forces in the United States—motivated by racial bias, industrial lobbying, and misinformation—falsely associated hemp with psychoactive cannabis. This culminated in the 1937 Marihuana Tax Act, which effectively banned hemp cultivation. The campaign was led by figures like Harry Anslinger, supported by newspaper moguls and chemical companies who stood to benefit from hemp’s suppression. Globally, the 1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs further cemented the stigma, leading many countries—including Australia—to ban all cannabis species, even low-THC industrial Hemp.

Rediscovery: Regulation and Revival in the Late 20th Century

For decades, Hemp languished in obscurity, despite its non-psychoactive nature and proven environmental benefits. Yet by the late 20th century, public interest began to return. Countries like France, China, and Canada reinstated hemp farming under strict regulations. Australia followed in the 1990s and early 2000s, with different states allowing licensed cultivation for fibre and seed. A major turning point came in 2017, when Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) approved the sale of hemp seeds as food.

Today, hemp is in the midst of a renaissance. Its fibres are used in sustainable fashion, stalks in building materials like hempcrete, and its seeds in protein-rich health foods and skincare. It thrives in low-input agriculture, enriching soil and requiring little water or pesticide. In Australia, hemp is now cultivated in Tasmania, Queensland, Victoria, with small businesses leading a new era of eco-conscious innovation.

From Neolithic China to 21st-century Australia, hemp’s story is one of resilience, rediscovery, and reinvention. A plant once buried by stigma is now reclaiming its place at the centre of sustainable design, health, and agriculture. Hemp is proof that some ancient wisdom is worth reviving.