Hemp for Victory is a very peculiar documentary produced in 1942 by the United States government which explains the different uses that industrial hemp, a variety of the Cannabis plant, can have, encouraging farmers to cultivate it.
With the entry of the United States into Second World War, much of the country’s industrial production had to be directed to the so-called “war effort.” Some industrial fibers were becoming scarce and others had to be imported from abroad, with the corresponding economic extra cost.
As an alternative solution, the government lifted the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 to allow the production of hemp fiber to create rope for the army. To encourage farmers to grow hemp, the United States Department of Agriculture also made this black and white documentary, released in 1942 under the title “Hemp for Victory.”
The film shows a brief history of hemp and other products derived from this variety of Cannabis, the process on how hemp is grown and how is processed to produce ropes, fabrics, twine and other products.
After the Second World War, marijuana was considered illegal and the movie “Hemp for Victory” fell into oblivion for decades. The United States government itself even denied having made this documentary, however in 1989 two copies were found with the 15-minute duration of the original footage, which were donated to the Library of Congress of the United States for conservation.
Currently this short documentary is in the public domain. In this link you can see it in full on our Youtube channel
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