Cali. One of the most famous states in the world. What do you associate with California? Whether you know this place because of its surf breaks, its culture of innovation, or its bridges it probably holds a place somewhere in your mind. And, honestly, it’s in ours too, but we’re thinkin’ hemp.
Did you know that California is the biggest producer of hemp in the United States? It produces about 56% of all US hemp flowers. Not only this, but there are a bunch of intriguing hemp-based initiatives taking place in California. This post will delve into the Californian hemp history and current situation with Jo Dope’s trademark charm. So sit back and enjoy our take on California - a hempen state of America.
Let’s take our mind’s back to California’s original hemp boom.
Back in World War II, the Allies were struggling with trade routes disrupted and a lack of general supplies. So what did the generals, the corporals, the government turn to? Why, hemp of course. Under the “Hemp for Victory” program, farmers were encouraged to grow their hemp for use in the military, namely to use in sails, ropes and canvas and uniforms. Thus, the soldiers had a reliable, domestic source of essential wartime items. And look who won the war… so even hemp played its part in the Allied victory.
Following that however, hemp’s popularity dwindled, because regulations came into place. The dark ages for Californian hemp were during the mid-1900s, when other crops and legalities stifled hemp production. In more recent decades, Californian hemp has had a dramatic resurgence. They came back to the light, so to speak. In 2018, hemp was legalised nationwide, and nowadays Californians are producing tonnes of hemp yearly for industrial and commercial use. So, as it always does, hemp withstood the test of time and came back stronger than ever.
And then we arrive back where we began, today, in hempen California with a world of hemp-based possibilities abounding, seemingly on every San Francisan street corner. The next section of the blog will discuss how some of California’s brightest minds are harnessing hemp to innovate and create some amazing things.
A couple of cool Californian hemp products:
As we said earlier, California is known for its surf culture. Why, the Beach Boys even originated there! But now some creative California surfboard shapers are truly practising what they preach and giving back to the Ocean that provides them with barrels, by designing sustainable hemp surfboards. The surfboards with a balsa-wood core and hemp fibre remove the toxic fibreglass traditionally used in surfboards and care for the beautiful ocean.
Biocomposites come about when biodegradable material is added to another constituent to create a new material. Biocomposites are not always eco-friendly, sometimes using petroleum based products, but they are certainly an improvement upon completely unsustainable plastic. In California, hemp biocomposites are used in car manufacturing (eg. for the interior parts of the car) and in construction.
Where will California'n Hemp Go Next ?
So, there are a couple of modern-day examples of California’s hemp innovation. Hopefully you enjoyed this hempen addition to Jo Dope’s United States of Hemp blog series. If you love hemp as much as us (which we doubt), or even if you don’t, we would be stoked if you checked out our own hempen innovation. We sell completely sustainable hemp sheets. Follow this link for more info.
Love,
The Jo Dope team
