Tennessee Cannabiz

Cannabis in the Industrial Age: Hemp Powers Industry Part 1 of The Great Hemp Conspiracy Before “marihuana” became a scareword, hemp powered varnish, cars, and engines. This is the story of what might have been—and what powerful interests stood to lose. Hemp Oil: Fuel for Progress At the dawn of the 20th century, hemp wasn’t a fringe crop — it was a backbone of American industry. Thick, durable, and renewable, hemp oil was a major ingredient in varnishes, paints, and lubricants. By some estimates, over 80% of paints and varnishes in the U.S. once contained hemp oil.  Farmers could literally grow the raw material for finishing products right out of the soil, making it a local and renewable resource long before “green” was a marketing buzzword. Ford’s Hemp Car In 1941, Henry Ford unveiled a prototype car with body panels made from a hemp-and-resin composite . In a famous demonstration, Ford struck the panels with a sledgeh...