Customer Reviews

A History of the Hemp Industry in Kentucky

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I have read almost every book published about hemp in the English language during the last 120 years. With all the garbage pro-hemp propaganda that has been created by the marijuana legalization movement, full of distortions, exaggerations of disgusting magnitude, fantasies, profound ignorance of basic facts about hemp, and shocking inaccuracies, it is refreshing to read a book that was written by an author who did actual research and tried to present a realistic and reasonable picture of this topic.

This book has no agenda; it is simply an economic, social, and agricultural history of hemp. It was written at a time when hemp farming was still legal but had nearly disappeared from American culture due to economics--yet many of the older generations in Kentucky at the time of its publication would have remembered the crop formerly being a significant part of the local economy. Although the title specifies Kentucky, the book actually provides a great deal of information about the hemp industry nationwide, and it is probably the single best resource for any person wanting to do research on hemp history in the United States. It is well written and enjoyable to read, as much as a scholarly historical work focusing on agriculture and economics can be. I found the quotes and first-hand accounts from the mid 1800's fascinating (for example, I wouldn't have guessed that, when compared to wages, land in Kentucky was far more expensive in 1840 than it is in the same areas today), and the author's analysis of his historical findings is thoughtful and perceptive.

The book is well organized into chapters that answer questions you might have about the history of this plant: when, where, and how it was grown; when, where, and how was it used; how much was used for which purposes, and what economic conditions affected the crop; why and when the industry declined.

If you are looking for confirmation that hemp is a miracle crop that will save the world, that it can be grown forever on the same plot of land and produce phenomenal yields without depleting the soil, that it used to be the most important crop in America, or that a great conspiracy by DuPont, W. R. Hearst, and Harry Anslinger caused its decline, you won't find it here. Fortunately, this book just contains facts.

The History of the Hemp Industry in Kentucky is a well documented Phd. thesis about the title.

I have read this book as research for a novel I have written. I found that the authors research was very helpful to me, and I was most impressed by his efforts. I have been able to use his information to enrich my historical novel.

This work is most accurate and well documented, it will have a very special readership.