It is my understanding that the federal government subsidized the growing of hemp---

[Atticus]

marijuana---during WWI because its fibers were necessary for the making of the large ropes then used to rig and secure our warships. This was long before synthetic fibers were used and the hemp fibers were judged a military necessity and we could not risk relying on foreign supplies.

Where, I wonder, has that common sense attitude gone as auto plants shut down because our supply of foreign chips has been interrupted by covid?

(As a side note, in the past folks from southern Illinois crossed the state line to harvest "Indiana Ditch" weed---remnants escaped from prior farm fields. It was not high quality----so I am told---but the price was right for a little buzz.)

[multigraincracker]

1. I might have done that in 1969.

The sign said." Entering Newton County. If pot is your bag....24 hr. ground and air surveillance"

I went once to pick and the next year to get a friend out of jail. Had to loan him $400. I think he is still wanted in that state as he didn't show up for court case.

[LakeArenal]

2. We call it ditch weed. It grows all over Central WI.

Tasted like shit. Assholes would come by and harvest it and I guess sell it. But it didn’t get you high. The buzz is like the first cigarette. 🤢 Smoking rope is probably as good.

[stopdiggin]

6. nearly impossible to get a decent high

More like a headache. People occasionally did pick the stuff - although it was my understanding that it was basically used to 'cut' better quality Mexican or Colombian. But, in large part nobody was interested and it was just a pest weed. Farmers and landowners made an effort to control it - and thus 'ditch' weed.
----- -----

[LakeArenal]

7. Much of the ditch weed is from migrant workers eight generations growing wild.

It is really green and is also called skunk weed. The larger farms tend to have it all around the edges.

However, WI did grow hemp during the war.

[stopdiggin]

10. yep. and the government did promote

it's production. And then everything got very silly and strange.

I have a story about Boy Scout camp in that area ... Some people were going to be "rich!" But I think I was still trying to learn 'cigarettes' - without making a fool of myself ..

[MyOwnPeace]

3. The military (Navy) used it for ropes......

The government gave bags of seeds to railroad conductors who rode in the caboose (we're talking 'history' here!) and asked them to spread the seeds as they rode along the rails!

[Atticus]

4. In 1970, I took the Illinois Central ( actually, the northbound "City of New Orleans", I think) to

Chicago from Centralia, Illinois. The trip was delayed for HOURS because a work train ahead of us was spraying this "new weed killer called Round-Up" to kill all the marijuana plants along the right-of-way.

When we eventually passed it on a siding, there was a huge plastic tank of mix on a flatbed car and HUGE mounted sprayer that resembled a small cannon. They were serious about getting rid of that "wacky tabacky" the "dirty fuckin' hippies" were smoking.

[MyOwnPeace]

5. Just couldn't let the moment pass.....

without some Good Ole' Willie!

[EYESORE 9001]

8. My father grew it during WWII

When I was younger, he admitted smoking it until he got a headache.

[MiHale]

9. I was gonna wait a little to burn my first for the day...

post made me do it now.




Thanks!

[Igel]

11. Here's a tolerably good source.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemp#Cultivars

Notice that there are two cultivars of interest. Offspring from one doesn't spontaneously switch to the other variety (although the odd individual may not breed true).

One has a lot of fiber, a slightly different growth habit, and is industrial. The other is fairly rubbish for fiber, but tolerable for THC (just "tolerable" by today's engineered varieties).

Given cross-pollination, the two would likely merge real quick, to both side's annoyance. Given no cross-pollination and no real selective pressure, they'd likely stay fairly true for a long time--far more than 8 years. (It's an annual, so every year is a new generation.)

Used to work for a company that commissioned and imported hemp paper and clothing/accessories. People always asked if it could get them high. The vice-president of the company at first always said 'no' then realized by hedging and not saying that out right sales would tick up a bit. (Company still crashed; the VP was embezzling.)