Holland’s Hemp History

Hemp is one of the oldest crops domesticated by man. The history of hemp in Holland also goes back for thousands of years. The stalk of the hemp-plant produces one of the strongest natural fibres that were used to make things like rope, textile and paper. Also the seed of the hemp-plant contains high-grade food oil that was also used for lamp oil, the production of paint and (green!) soap.

The Dutch Golden Age was also the golden age of Dutch hemp in Holland. Without hemp there would not have been too much golden age in the first place. A seafaring nation with ships going around the globe is a nice thing to be; however, to be able to build such ships, many tons of hemp was needed. Next to wood, hemp was the main component used to build a ship in those times. The replica of the famous 17th century Dutch ship ‘Batavia’ contains about 21 kilometres of rope. The sails are made of hemp and hemp-fibres were also used as part of a caulking that made the hull watertight.

Only after Czar Peter the Great learned about shipbuilding in the Dutch ‘zaanstreek’ (an area in the north of Amsterdam where a lot of ships used were build) -- and as it seems also about hemp production -- did Russian hemp start to compete with the Dutch. This was the beginning of a slow decline for hemp, a decline that continued into the 20^th century when modern machines and artificial fibres finally conquered the market. The farmers, especially in the middle of Holland and along the big rivers, lost their winter-time work (peeling the fibres from the stalks) and started to make their own cheese. The hemp-market in places like Gouda became a cheese-market and Holland became a cheese-country.

The most towns and villages used to have their own ropewalks for the production of hemp-rope. These long lanes (now often a shopping street in the middle of town) were right along the city wall or just outside of it. Some places specialized in the production of hemp-rope, for example the city of Oudewater (near Gouda) was a real rope makers’ town. The famous Dutch Admiral Michiel de Ruyter worked as a young boy turning the wheel of the ropewalk.

Generally it is thought that linen is only produced from the flax plant but in the past and way into the 20^th century, linen was also produced from hemp. The male plants were used for making linen and sails because the fibers are finer then those of the female plant. Or the coarser fibers of the female were used for making more heavy canvas (from “cannabis”) and rope.

The hemp was grown on small artificial islands right next or close to the farm. The water level could be regulated with little dams, and to protect the plants against strong winds a line of pruned willow trees was grown around the outer edge of the plot. These characteristic small islands can still be recognized in the countryside today in the middle of Holland and along the big rivers.

Hemp-stalks are harvested and then put for a while in water to start a rotting process, called ‘retting’. Bacteria start to break down the connections between the bark fibers so they come loose from each other. This also happens when the stalks are left on the field for a while and rain or dew regularly wets them. After this, the stalks are dried and the fibres are peeled off the stalks. They can also be broken in a special device called the ‘breaker’ so the bark fibre comes lose from the inner wood core. Windmills were sometimes used for this process.

After breaking, the bundles of bark fibre are cleaned further by first hitting them with a flat piece of wood to clean off the last pieces of remaining wood core. Then the fibers are combed on various sizes of ‘hackles’

The clean bundles of fibres are spun to fine yarn to be woven into textiles by the weavers. The production of hemp-linen and heavy canvas is very labour intensive, to make 1 meter of cloth takes at least 25 hours of work. A long time ago, canvas and linen were not cheap products. This was the reason why many painters could not afford the canvas for their paintings. A good way to deal with this is by making a painting of the weaver and his family, on an available wooden panel. These paintings were then traded for canvas. This is the reason why there are many paintings of weavers.

In the past, the hemp plant was important for its fibre and its seed but it was available on the shelf of the drugstore as a medicine. The psychoactive effects of hemp certainly didn’t stay unnoticed. On top of that was that the price of tobacco in the 16^th and 17^th century was very high and farmers and poor people could not afford pure tobacco. This was the reason that in these times many tobacco mixtures were sold to make the tobacco affordable (and tasty!). Already people were puffing away in this time, including certain painters.

Numerous painters preserved smoking scenes of the 17^th century where they are clearly under the influence. Take a look at various representations of smokers by painters like Adriaan Brouwer, David Teniers (de Jonge) and Paul van Ostade and others. Many times you can see hemp seeds in the ashtray and the old matches were also hemp-branches, so everything points in the direction of a lot of hemp smoke.

There are examples of smoking tobacco-hemp mixtures in Germany and Switzerland also. Recently a new discovery was made in England near the house of William Shakespeare. Pipes that were excavated were found to contain traces of various substances including hemp-marihuana. Was the genius of Shakespeare drug influenced?

Dutch Cannabis Pioneers

During the sixties in Holland, most of the cannabis consumed was low grade South East Asian grass and Hashish. During the early to mid seventies, a small number of enthusiasts grew out many of the seeds they had collected throughout the years, plus the already long established Purple and Green Lemon types (these were used as tobacco substitutes during the second world war.)

Right about that time, a number of Afghani seeds also made it to Holland. The Dutch met with limited success breeding with these varieties, however, the consumers were not interested in this ‘Nederwiet’, still preferring their imported Hashish.

In the States where the smoking of Marijuana was already well established, enthusiasts were also breeding cannabis with seeds from around the world. Predominantly pure Sativa types were preferred due to the type of high that they gave, but these pure Sativa types were not indigenous to the States and rarely matured in time. Many hybrids were created from pure Sativa’s, mostly from Thai, Columbian, Mexican and South Indian landrace plants. During the mid to late seventies Cannabis Indica seeds were introduced into the States, including Afghan #1, Mazar-I-Sharif, Chitral and Hindu Kush.

Breeders crossed these early maturing Indica varieties with the sweeter but late maturing Sativa’s. Some of the earliest Sativa/Indica strains were bred by Sacred Seeds including Skunk#1 ((Columbian x Afghan#1) X Acapulco Gold), Original Haze, Hindu Kush and Afghan#1.

In the early eighties, these strains and many others such as; Early California, Thai, Columbian, South Indian, Early Girl, Hawaiian Indica, Californian Orange and South African landrace genetics, were brought to Holland by Sam the Skunkman, one of the founders of Sacred Seeds.

Three major players of that time, with an interest in finding superior plants, started to grow out the Skunkman’s seeds: Ben Dronkers of Sensi Seeds and Eddie, who founded the Flying Dutchmen Seed Company and the Cannabis College, worked together with the Skunkman for many years, setting up a successful seed wholesale business in the early eighties. The third pioneer is the infamous Neville, the previous owner of the Cannabis Castle, who was also experimenting with his own genetics at the time.

The base genetics for almost all of the strains that are found in Holland today, originated from the Skunkman’s introductions and the subsequent breeding work achieved by these pioneers.

The key to breeding superior seed stock is the selection process. Eddie, Ben and Neville grew out tens of thousands of each strain to isolate those exceptional plants. Greenhouses of up to 20,000 square meters were used with darkening systems to manipulate the natural photoperiod, with this method, two crops a year could be harvested. At first, the rejuvenation of fully flowered, selected mothers and fathers was a hit and miss task.

The Americans were successfully taking cuttings from cannabis still in its vegetative stage, this technique revolutionized the Dutch growing scene. Cuttings could be taken from all the plants during the vegetative period and maintained until the plants were mature and the selection process was carried out. These selected plants have been faithfully maintained ever since by Sensi Seeds and The Flying Dutchmen. Today, research and development still form a large part of their work.

Cannabis explained

Cannabis sativa L. is the scientific name given to the cannabis or hemp plant in 1753 by the Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus. Since then, three main types have been identified:

- Cannabis Sativa

- Cannabis Indica

- Cannabis Ruderalis

Sativa, Indica and Ruderalis each have distinctive characteristics.

Sativa

Probably the most common form of Cannabis worldwide and also the type with the most applications. As a botanical name, sativa simply means ‘sown’ and is applied to the cultivated or common form of many agricultural crops.

A typical Sativa is a tall plant, generally a lighter shade of green than the other types. Its leaves are made up of long, narrow blades. Female flowers are longer and more ‘feathery’ in appearance than those of an Indica.

In general, the foliage of a Sativa is sparser than that of the other varieties Sativas grow taller than the other types, gaining height all through their growing and flowering phases. This is due to the equatorial origin of Sativas. In the tropical regions the length of day does not change very much between seasons, so Sativas are adapted to accomplish both their growing and flowering in a fairly uniform photoperiod.

The female flowers of Sativa strains usually grow along the length of the stem and branches, instead of forming in clusters around the internodes, as with the other types. This flower formation is due to the Sativa tendency to grow and flower simultaneously. As a result, female Sativa flowers are usually less dense and weigh less than Indica flowers.

A pure Sativa often requires a combined grow/flower period of around six months to ripen completely. For this reason there is no such thing as a pure indoor Sativa strain. All Sativa strains that are viable for indoor growing have been hybridised with Indica strains to make them more compact and faster to flower.

Nearly all cannabis grown for industrial purposes is Sativa. As the tallest variety it produces the longest fibres and therefore has the widest range of industrial uses.

Indica

Indica varieties are generally agreed to have originated on the Asian subcontinent or possibly Afghanistan. Lamarck, the first European botanist to classify this type, received his samples from India and thus dubbed the plant ‘Indica’ in recognition of that fact.

A typical Indica is a much more compact, thick-stemmed plant, usually attaining a height of less than two metres. It is a darker shade of green, some examples appearing to have almost blue or green-black foliage. Its leaves are comprised of short, wide blades. An Indica tends to produce more side-branches and denser foliage than a Sativa, resulting in a wider, bushier plant. Female Indica flowers form in thick clusters around the internodes of the plant and usually weigh more than Sativa flowers of similar size.

The life cycle of an Indica is divided into two distinct photoperiods – growing and flowering. Growing occurs when the plant is in an environment of long days and short nights. Here, the plant devotes its energy to increasing in size. As days become shorter and nights longer, the plant receives the signal that winter is approaching and flowering is triggered. Here, upward and outward growth slows or stops as the plant devotes its energy to growing reproductive parts.

An Indica requires both a growing and flowering period in order to reach its full size.

Many Indicas are a rich source of the cannabinoids THC, CBD and CBN. While a Sativa may possess a higher proportion of THC relative to its other cannabinoids, an Indica will often contain significant levels of all three. When ingested, Indicas tend to produce more bodily effects than Sativas – effects such as enhancement of physical sensations, relaxation, dry mouth, red eyes. These Indica effects are often grouped together under the term ‘stoned’, as opposed to the ‘high’ imparted by Sativas. This is not to say that Indicas have no psychoactive effect, just that they also have noticeable effects on the body.

Indicas are cultivated almost exclusively for their medicinal and psychoactive properties. Lamarck, when classifying this type, commented that Indica’s “firm stem and thin bark make it incapable of furnishing similar fibres to the preceding species (C. sativa L.) of which so much use is made".

Ruderalis

The name ‘ruderalis’ comes from the German ruderal, a term for weeds growing by the roadside or on other fallow land.

Cannabis ruderalis is an uncultivated strain native to Russia and central Europe and is adapted to the harsher environments found in these locations. Whether seen as a variation on the single cannabis species or as a distinct species in itself, Ruderalis varieties are most likely descended from Indica varieties which, in turn, are probably descended from Sativas.

The differences between these three in their growing and reproductive patterns can be linked to the vastly different climates and environments encountered by the original tropical phenotype C. sativa L. as it colonised further and further north of the equator after the last ice age.

The most notable characteristic of the Ruderalis strain is its capacity to flower (and therefore reproduce) according to an individual plant’s age, independent of the photoperiod in which it is growing.

Since nearly all flowering plants take their cue to reproduce from the climatic factors indicative of season, the ability to begin this process based on changes in the plant rather than in its environment is known as ‘auto-flowering’.

A Ruderalis will begin flowering when it achieves a certain stage of maturity - normally after about seven weeks of growth, when it reaches its fifth to seventh internode. Once a Ruderalis has begun flowering, it continues to do so until other environmental factors (most notably winter) cause the plant to die. The other varieties may expire naturally once their reproduction has been accomplished, or may return to vegetative growth if given a long photoperiod.

Ruderalis’ adaptation to short, cool summers can be seen in other areas. Ruderalis has the ability to complete its life cycle – from being a seed to producing seeds - in just 10 weeks. Its seeds detach easily and can survive more than one season in frozen ground - until conditions are favourable enough to allow growth. The seeds can also survive their shells being cracked open when walked on by humans or animals. For some Ruderalis strains, this occurrence may even aid the germination of seeds.

A typical Ruderalis plant is very short in height, often between 10cm and 50cm at full maturity. It displays little or no branching and has wide, fat-bladed leaves, similar to those of an Indica. Once flowering begins, Ruderalis will gain even less height than an Indica.

Wild Ruderalis strains are nearly always high in CBD and low in THC.

While pure Ruderalis strains have little value in terms of fibre, medicine or psychoactivity, their auto-flowering capability and their extremely fast maturation time are of great interest to cannabis breeders. Hybrids made from combining Indica and Ruderalis strains are currently proving to be some of the earliest-maturing outdoor plants available.

Top 15 Cannabis quotes:

# 1

Rosie Boycott, Independent on Sunday, 28 Sept 1997

"If alcohol is a tiger, cannabis is merely a mouse"

# 2

Jon Owen Jones, UK MP

"We have tried the prohibition route for 30 years and it obviously, patently isn't working."

# 3

Judge James Grey, Orange County Superior Court, Santa Ana, CA, at the DPF Conference, November 1996:

"If we continue as we have for the past 20 years in California, in the year 2020, everybody in the State will either be in prison or running one"

# 4

President Jimmy Carter:

"Penalties against possession of a drug should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself"

# 5

The Economist March 28th 1992:

"Medicines often produce side effects. Sometimes they are physically unpleasant. Cannabis too has discomforting side effects, but these are not physical they are political"

# 6

Volney Brown Jr., Federal Magistrate-Judge,(retired)., Los Angeles. At the DPF Conference, November 1996:

"There is only one thing wrong with drug law enforcement, just one - it doesn't work. And when I tell you this I want you to believe me because I have done it"

# 7

Detective Chief Inspector Ron Clarke, former member of Greater Manchester Police Drugs Squad: "I got tired of seeing otherwise innocent young kids from all walks of life getting criminal records for, in effect, doing nothing more than millions of other people in society were doing with alcohol"

# 8

Sir Paul McCartney, Independent on Sunday, 28th September 1997:

"I support decriminalisation. People are smoking pot anyway and to make them into criminals is wrong. It's when you're in jail you really become a criminal."

# 9

Ontario Justice John McCart, 1997, (R. v Clay)"Cannabis is not an addictive substance; does not cause a motivational syndrome; and health related costs of cannabis use are negligible when compared to the costs attributable to tobacco and alcohol consumption."

# 10

Professor Lester Grinspoon, Harvard Medical School, USA:

"Marijuana is one of the least toxic substances in the whole pharmacopoeia"

# 11

Edward Ellison, former Head of Scotland Yard's Antidrug Squad

''I say legalize drugs because I want to see less drug abuse, not more. And I say legalize drugs because I want to see the criminals put out of business.''

# 12

Judge James Pickles, UK:

"Cannabis never killed anybody and it's use is widespread. You can’t stop it. The law defeats itself because all the efforts to stop drugs coming in only drives up the prices and then gangsters move in to push the drugs. If they legalised there wouldn't be gangsters and huge profits...The police are gradually decriminalising the possession of cannabis because they realise there's not much point prosecuting"

# 13

Sir Richard Branson, Independent on Sunday, 28th September 1997:

"I'd like to see the government back a programme of research into the medical properties of cannabis and I do not object to its responsible use as a recreational relaxant."

# 14

LaGuardia Commission Report, 1944

"Cannabis smoking does not lead directly to mental or physical deterioration... Those who have consumed marijuana for a period of years showed no mental or physical deterioration which may be attributed to the drug."

# 15

Robert Sweet, U.S. District Judge, New York

''Finally, the fundamental flaw, which will ultimately destroy this prohibition as it did the last one, is that criminal sanctions cannot, and should not attempt to, prohibit personal conduct which does no harm to others.''