"Some of my finest hours have been spent on my back veranda, smoking hemp and observing as far as my eye can see." - Thomas Jefferson
"I am very glad to hear that the Gardener has saved so much of the St. foin seed, and that of the India Hemp. Make the most you can of both, by sowing them again in drills. . . Let the ground be well prepared, and the Seed (St. loin) be sown in April. The Hemp may be sown any where. "
George Washington to William Pearce, 24 February 1794
Some of our founding fathers supported the idea of using hemp in a multitude of ways, from cloths, to sails, to smokeable herbs, like tobacco.
Unfortunately the paper industry took over and the marijuana stamp act was created and before long, it was "stamped" out of existence.
Lets not forget the amazing petro chemical industry with their introduction of nylon, seems funny that all the scare mongering and propaganda in the 50's started right after the release of Nylon and synthetic based fibers.