Welcome all lovers of hemp! I have gotten quite comfortable in my role as one of hemp’s dedicated hype persons and I could go on for hours about the magic of this multi-talented plant. However, there are many more distinguished people who have shared their thoughts on hemp. We're going to tune into their musings through this list of hemp quotes. 

Hemp has had many practical and nutritional uses throughout history and these days there are hundreds of different hemp products available to purchase. You can smoke hemp, eat hemp, drink it in the form of hemp tea, and apply it to your skin through the use of various hemp beauty products. But hemp’s greatness is not contained to domestic use only. It has a lot of industrial potential too and can be made into building materials like hempcrete. 

Knowing all of that, it’s no wonder that many people believe hemp is a key player in the push for a more sustainable future. From known supporters of hemp like Jack Herer, to surprising George Washington hemp quotes, these little tidbits of hemp love are sure to get you feeling hopeful for a greener future!

Before we get into the hemp quotes let’s address why there’s all this hype about hemp. The simplest answer is that hemp has more (astronomically varied) uses and applications than any other plant. We’ve got hemp fashion, hemp beauty, nutritional supplements from hemp, and even hemp construction materials. 

That’s made even better by the fact that hemp is easy to grow and its production has no negative ecological impact.  Hemp needs very little water to grow and it even absorbs more carbon dioxide than most trees. The hemp industry has been steadily growing over the recent years, to the point that there’s probably a hemp version of most of the common items that you can think of.

Here are just a few examples of hemp’s shapeshifting abilities:

• Hemp Skincare
• Hemp Oil
• Hemp Seeds
• Hemp Rope
• Hemp Clothing
• Hemp Underwear
• Hemp Tea
• Hemp Milk
• Hempcrete
• Hemp Insulation
• Hemp Paper
• Hemp Shoes

And dozens of other products and nutritional supplements! Can you believe one plant can become all those different things?! Not to mention that making all those products out of hemp (many of which are essential to daily living) is much less harmful than making them out of anything else. Yay hemp! So, how’d people start using hemp in the first place? Has it been around for long? Let’s take a quick look!

Hemp has been cultivated by humans for a very long time, with uses tracing back to ancient civilizations in Japan and China (as far as 8000 BCE). People used hemp for its nutritional value and the strength of hemp fibers to make hemp rope and other useful items. 

The hemp plant does not have a specific known origin but is thought to come from Central and Southwest Asia. The plant was brought over to the Americas by Spanish colonizers in the mid-1500s. Hemp became a popular and lucrative crop in the United States for many decades, with its peak production time occurring in the 1800s. 

In 1937 the Marijuana Tax Act was enacted and in 1970 the Controlled Substances Act made the growth and production of hemp near impossible in the US. The 2014 Farm Bill brought changes that allowed for the production of hemp again, under regulated conditions. Now, it’s become a widely harvested crop with fewer laws standing in the way. As for the future of hemp, time will tell!

For now, what we can do is keep the conversation around hemp and sustainability alive. And, what better way to do that than by taking in some quotes from hemp’s loudest and proudest advocates?

From writers and entertainers to activists, industrial leaders, and lawmakers, many prominent figures have shared their thoughts about hemp. The following hemp quotes are sure to inspire you!

After reading the history section of our post, you probably won’t be surprised to hear that there’s a whole collection of the founding fathers’ hemp quotes. That’s right, the very first presidents of the United States happened to be hemp enthusiasts. 

The most abundant quotes in this category are George Washington hemp quotes. Why? Because the man himself grew hemp (for its lucrative purposes) and wrote thoroughly about his business in journals and letters. Here are some hemp quotes rooted in the early history of the US: 

While it is interesting to look at mentions of hemp throughout history it should also be a sobering reminder that the foundation of hemp in America is rooted in colonization, terror, and displacement. History cannot be changed but the future is still somewhat in our control. 

That is why it’s essential to open up the conversation regarding indigenous communities' roles in the hemp industry. It’s absolutely wild to think of how much land is and will continue to be dedicated to the production of hemp and cannabis and how little of it is under the control of indigenous people.

This isn’t a matter of who can grow hemp better because hemp isn’t even a native plant to North America. It’s about who should be in charge of deciding how we live in harmony with our planet. And if hemp is the natural resource that’s at the forefront of the sustainability movement then the industry needs to have space for people who have been environmentally aware from the very start, people whose way of life is rooted in a direct connection to the land.

That said, the last two hemp quotes I have for you are about native people’s involvement in the hemp industry. May we all learn how to do what is right for our planet and fellow humans, together. 

It’s quite inspiring to see how widely heralded hemp has been throughout history. Knowing how capable hemp is and how few resources are required to grow it, I believe the list of famous names that praise this special plant will only continue to expand over the coming years.

How did you first find out about hemp and how versatile it is? Is there any other essential hemp quote that people should be aware of that I missed? Share your thoughts in the comments!