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Industrial Hemp Information Resources

David P. Watson

International Hemp Association, P.O. Box 75007,
1070AA Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Business Directories
      This is the first in a series of four articles reviewing information resources, comparing their advantages and disadvantages and rating them for ease of use, price, completeness and availability.   The information resources reviewed here consist of hemp business directories, and in the subsequent three articles will include books, printed reports, journals and other periodicals, videos, World Wide Web and news-group sites on the Internet, institutions, organizations and consultants, and museums.

        True Hemp Directory & Buyers Guide, 3rd edition. 1995 16 pp.., US$ 15.00, published by John Birrenbach, Institute for Hemp, P. O. Box 65130, St. Paul, MN 55165 Tel. +1 (612) 222-2628.
        170 listings by alphabetical order, category and product type.
        Advantages - free listings, just fill out a survey.
        Disadvantages - Few e-mail or www sites, little information about listings.
        Comments - John's was the first directory (this is the 3rd edition) and, in fact, has the most listings, but with few international listings, only USA.  Unfortunately, the Institute for Hemp is no longer active.

        International Directory of Hemp Products and Suppliers 1996.  144 pp.. US$ 29.95, Published by James Berry, The Message Co., 4 Camino Azul, Santa Fe, NM 87505, +1 (505) 474-0998.
        166 listings alphabetical by country (USA by states) and category (includes business descriptions and products) index by product and reference section.
        Advantages - The free listings policy has the potential to allow the majority of the industry to be listed in future editions.
        Disadvantages - One of its most serious faults is the lack of cross indexing.
        Comments - The addition of page numbers after individual business listings by country and product would help.  The price of US$29.95 is very high, especially considering it will need to be replaced yearly.

        Hemp Pages - The Hemp Industry Source Book 1996. 48 pp.  US$14.95  Published by Mari Kane, Hemp World, P.O. Box 315, Sebastopol, Calif. 95473. Tel. +1 707 887-7508.
        142 Listings alphabetized by Category and 13 Countries, cross-indexed by business listing and page number.  Reference section includes international dialing country codes and time differences, WWW sites, trade shows and hemp glossary.
        Advantages - Compact, concise and definitely the most thoughtfully laid-out for ease of use.   It is also well cross-indexed.
        Disadvantages - Cost of being listed (US$100).
        Comments - A large number of capital-strapped small businesses can-not pay to be listed in a resource guide.  This is why I suspect the number of these listings will not grow nearly as fast as the industry.  This drawback may then limit the potential value of future editions, since this sourcebook will not be as comprehensive as otherwise possible.
        The IHA distributes a copy of Hemp Pages in our Cannabis EduPak.

        The Great Book of Hemp 1996.  247 pages  US$19.95  published by Rowan Robinson, Park St. Press, One Park St., Rochester, VT 05767.
        More than 100 hemp industry listings.   Chapters cover:  Environment and Hemp Husbandry, Hemp and Health, Hemp and Spirituality, Global History of Hemp, The Patriotic Crop, Marijuana Madness and Hemp for Victory.
        Advantages - This is an amazing collection of interesting hemp information, and photos, and at its size and price make it a good buy.
        Disadvantages - While the cover trumpets the environmental, industrial and medical uses, in fact, over on half of the 200+ page text is devoted to a discussion of marijuana.
        Comments - This book is more than just a resource guide, it is a "Trojan Horse", combining the three issues of medical, industrial and recreational Cannabis in an attempt to legitimize the last category.  This is unfortunate because, minus the marijuana subject matter, it might have become a standard school/library reference book.  With the inclusion of the recreational use issue, however, the book may not achieve as wide a distribution or acceptance, and so be limited to those who are already in agreement on this topic.   Readers unfamiliar with Cannabis should be the author's primary audience.

        Directories are ephemeral resources and must be updated as regularly as the hemp industry evolves.  The above works fall short because they are either too expensive or charge too much to participate.   What is needed is a low cost (US$10.00 or less) directory with a low listing fee (US$10.00 or less).  Otherwise, directories will always have limited circulation and coverage.  Possibly a non-profit organization can fill this void.
        The next article in this series will discuss general industrial hemp books and videos, journals and other periodicals, WWW sites and reports.