This project traces the suppression and re-emergence of hemp as a material and an industry within the United States. Once widely cultivated for textiles and rope, hemp’s trajectory was disrupted in the early 20th century as it became entangled with anti-marijuana legislation and propaganda. Through a timeline-based analysis, the project examines how political narratives, racialized campaigns, and economic competition reshaped public perception, collapsing a once-promising bio-based industry. By mapping key moments such as wartime production spikes, prohibition-era decline, and post-2018 legalization, the work reveals how knowledge systems around hemp have been fragmented and lost. Visual strategies draw from historical media, including the graphic language of anti-drug campaigns, to understand how imagery influenced policy and public opinion. The project reframes hemp not only as a sustainable material for the built environment, but as a case study in how regulation, perception, and industry are deeply intertwined.
