Hemp for Victory 1942

On December 7th, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, which resulted in the United States to enter the Second World War. The strong Japanese military presence in the Pacific combined with the tight blockade of the Atlantic sea lanes by the Germans isolated North America. It has become increasingly difficult to meet the material needs of the military, particularly with regard to fiber products. At the time, a significant amount was imported from the Philippines, but the country was under Japanese occupation very early in the war. For this reason, in 1942, the US government eased the regulation of industrial hemp and the US Department of Agriculture went so far as to produce a short film entitled: Hemp for Victory. The film, which lasts about 12 minutes, praises the virtues of hemp and encourages farmers to grow it as part of the war effort. Hemp was needed for a multitude of uses, from the ropes of the destroyers to the laces of the soldiers’ boots! A total of 36,000 acres were grown as early as 1942. The next year was to increase to more than 50,000 acres. Sadly, as soon as the war ended in 1945 and despite the services rendered, the government tightened the regulation of industrial hemp again. This, combined with a dramatic fall in demand, has once again killed this industry. The last listed producer in the United States was from the state of Wisconsin and ceased operations in 1957. Permit applications, heavy bureaucratic mechanics and the false belief that hemp was psychotropic soon discouraged producers, even the toughest ones.