Hemp cultivation is one of the oldest crops known to humankind dating back over 10,000 years. Hemp has been grown for textile fibers, pottery, rope and food. The Chinese were one of the first to recognize the hemp plant and used it to make paper. In 2700 BCE the first reference to hemp was found in literature. The Chinese Emperor Shen Nung, known as the father of ancient Chinese medicine, wrote the medical encyclopedia “Pen Ts’ao” which contains a list of hundreds of medicines derived from plants, and cannabis “ma” was on the list! Hemp has been used for hundreds of years in America. Some believe that our very own Declaration of Independence was originally written on hemp paper. However, the Tax Act of 1937 made it illegal to grow hemp because it was classified in the same category as it’s illicit cousin marijuana. After lots of education and lobbying, hemp was finally legalized initially by the 2014 Farm Bill and then expanded by the 2018 Farm Bill. Today, hemp is used in a variety of industries, including beauty products and food, but is most well known as a supplement using CBD oil from hemp extract. We are excited to see where this industry will go in the future, we can only imagine!