hemp

Annual plant originally from Asia, now cultivated in most temperate countries for the fibres produced in the outer layer of the stem, which are used in ropes, twines, and, occasionally, in a type of linen or lace. The drug cannabis is obtained from certain varieties of hemp. (Cannabis sativa, family Cannabaceae.)

The name ‘hemp’ is also given to other similar types of fibre: sisal hemp and henequen obtained from the leaves of Agave species native to Yucatán and cultivated in many tropical countries, and manila hemp obtained from Musa textilis, a plant native to the Philippines and the Maluku Islands, Indonesia.

Hemp contains one of the longest and strongest natural fibres, rivalling synthetic fibres such as glass fibre. It is one of the oldest crops known. Its decline as a fibre crop in the UK was due to its association with narcotic drug production, resulting in its cultivation being banned in 1971 under the Misuse of Drugs Act. During the 1990s growing hemp became legal once more in the UK, providing that the correct variety (selectively bred to reduce its narcotic content) is used and a licence from the Home Office is obtained. It has been produced as a commercial crop in the UK since 1993 and is used in the production of a variety of products including paper, horse bedding, cosmetics, fish bait, and bird feed.