Hemp

A fiber and oilseed crop, the low-tetrahydrocannabinol form of Cannabis sativa bred and grown for its fiber and seed rather than for the psychoactive compounds found in higher concentration in drug-type cannabis. Hemp is among the oldest cultivated plants, domesticated in Central or East Asia several thousand years ago, and its long bast fibers have been used historically for rope, canvas sailcloth, cordage and coarse textiles, while its seeds are pressed for oil or eaten whole. In colonial North America hemp cultivation was mandated by law in some jurisdictions, including parts of Virginia, for its importance to naval and agricultural supply, and the crop remained widely grown until twentieth century drug-control laws sharply restricted cultivation in many countries, a restriction now easing in several places that distinguish hemp from drug cannabis by law.