You may have heard this piece of trivia before: George Washington, the first US President and one of the founding fathers of the United States, grew cannabis at his plantation house at Mount Vernon. But is it true?
Well, the answer to this question is “yes” but it was used for industrial uses, not for smoking.
Here’s how it goes. (the article continues after the ad)
Hemp (a variety of Cannabis) was one of the many agricultural corps that Washington planted on his five farms. In his writings and diaries, he mentions it no fewer than 90 times. In his mentions, he talks about the types of hemp (New Zealand, Indian and American), harvesting the crops, looking for the best seeds that he could find and also encouraged farmers to grow hemp as what was produced form these plants was “ought to be manufactured at home”. So why was he so much interested on hemp?
Simply because every part of the industrial hemp plant that Washington grew was going to be used. The fibers from hemp were made into rope which, in the age of the sailing ship, was vital to navies. In addition, hemp fibers were also used to make a coarse linen cloth, sacking and other rough materials while the the oil extracted from the seeds, was used in paints, varnishes, and soaps.
If you like what you read, then you will definitely love this one: This Was George Washington’s Greatest Fear
Photo: Mount Vernon, Organic and Healthy
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