Hemp for Victory
Encyclopedia
Hemp for Victory is a black-and-white
United States
government film
made during World War II
, explaining the uses of hemp
, encouraging farmers to grow as much as possible.
, cloth, cordage, and other products.
As it was made by the US Government, it is public domain
and is freely available for download from the Internet Archive
.
Before 1989, the film was relatively unknown, and the United States Department of Agriculture
library and the Library of Congress
told all interested parties that no such movie was made by the USDA or any branch of the U.S. government. Two VHS
copies were recovered and donated to the Library of Congress on May 19, 1989 by Mia Farrow
, Carl Packard, and Jack Herer
.
The only known copy in 1976 was a 3/4" broadcast quality copy of the film that was originally obtained by William Conde in 1976 from a reporter for the Miami Herald and the Ethiopian Zion Coptic Church
of Jamaica. It was given in trust that it would be made available to as many as possible. It was put into the hands of Jack Herer by William Conde during the 1984 OMI (Oregon Marijuana Initiative). The film 20 years later is now available anywhere through the internet.
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
government film
Propaganda film
The term propaganda can be defined as the ability to produce and spread fertile messages that, once sown, will germinate in large human cultures.” However, in the 20th century, a “new” propaganda emerged, which revolved around political organizations and their need to communicate messages that...
made during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, explaining the uses of hemp
Hemp
Hemp is mostly used as a name for low tetrahydrocannabinol strains of the plant Cannabis sativa, of fiber and/or oilseed varieties. In modern times, hemp has been used for industrial purposes including paper, textiles, biodegradable plastics, construction, health food and fuel with modest...
, encouraging farmers to grow as much as possible.
History
The film was made to encourage farmers to grow hemp for the war effort because other industrial fibers, often imported from overseas, were in short supply. The film shows a history of hemp and hemp products, how hemp is grown, and how hemp is processed into ropeRope
A rope is a length of fibres, twisted or braided together to improve strength for pulling and connecting. It has tensile strength but is too flexible to provide compressive strength...
, cloth, cordage, and other products.
As it was made by the US Government, it is public domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
and is freely available for download from the Internet Archive
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
.
Before 1989, the film was relatively unknown, and the United States Department of Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
library and the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
told all interested parties that no such movie was made by the USDA or any branch of the U.S. government. Two VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
copies were recovered and donated to the Library of Congress on May 19, 1989 by Mia Farrow
Mia Farrow
Mia Farrow is an American actress, singer, humanitarian, and fashion model.Farrow first gained wide acclaim for her role as Allison Mackenzie in the soap opera Peyton Place, and for her subsequent short-lived marriage to Frank Sinatra...
, Carl Packard, and Jack Herer
Jack Herer
Jack Herer was an American cannabis activist and the author of The Emperor Wears No Clothes, a book which has been used in efforts to decriminalize cannabis.-Biography:...
.
The only known copy in 1976 was a 3/4" broadcast quality copy of the film that was originally obtained by William Conde in 1976 from a reporter for the Miami Herald and the Ethiopian Zion Coptic Church
Ethiopian Zion Coptic Church
The Ethiopian Zion Coptic Church is a mansion of Rastafari movement which flourished in the 1970s in Jamaica and was incorporated in Florida in 1975...
of Jamaica. It was given in trust that it would be made available to as many as possible. It was put into the hands of Jack Herer by William Conde during the 1984 OMI (Oregon Marijuana Initiative). The film 20 years later is now available anywhere through the internet.
Book
Hemp for Victory is also the title of a book about hemp, published 2006 in London by Whitaker Press (ISBN 0-9549939-0-X). It is the work of several authors active in the hemp world, including Kenyon Gibson, Nick and Cindy Mackintosh, Woody Harrelson, Mina Hegaard and Sam Heslop.2008 Remake "Hemp for Victory II - the sequel"
A new, three part documentary series entitled "Hemp for Victory II - the sequel" is being made by a UK production company.See also
- Cannabis CollegeCannabis CollegeThe Cannabis College is a non-profit information centre located in the centre of Amsterdam's historic Red Light District. Opened in 1998, the info centre features displays of the many and varied uses for Cannabis sativa and industrial hemp, as well as the history of human interaction with the plant...
- Legal history of cannabis in the United States
- List of films in the public domain
- MandrakeMandrake (plant)Mandrake is the common name for members of the plant genus Mandragora, particularly the species Mandragora officinarum, belonging to the nightshades family...
- Reefer Madness, 1936 film
- The Emperor Wears No ClothesThe Emperor Wears No ClothesThe Emperor Wears No Clothes is a book written by Jack Herer. Starting in 1973, Jack Herer took the advice of his friend "Captain" Ed Adair and began compiling tidbits of information about cannabis and its numerous uses. After a dozen years of collecting and compiling historical data, Herer first...
- United States home front during World War IIUnited States home front during World War IIThis page, United States home front during World War II, covers the developments within the United States, 1940–1945, to support its efforts during World War II.-Economics:...