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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 Unfortunately, the Institute for Hemp is no longer
active.
Categories: Associations-2 Consultants-5 Distributors-11 Importers-10 Mail order-15 Manufacturer-20 Non-profit-4 Retailers-16 |
Product
types: |
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.
Categories: Sourcing/Consultant-13 Retailers-68 Contract Dying-3 Distributor/wholesaler-27 Publishers-9 Importers-27 Associations-4 Manufacturers-79 Mail order catalogs-4 Manufacturers Reps-2 Writers-1 |
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.
Categories: Body care-6 Books and periodicals-13 Building Materials-3 Clothing, Luggage & Accessories-7 e-mail-12 Food-8 Furnishings-3 Legalization, Education-15 Media-5 Museums, Libraries, R&D-8 Paper-4 Retailers-28 Textiles-7 Wholesale/importers-23 |
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.
Categories: Information-5 Accessories-3 Luggage-1 Apparel-21 Manufacturers-4 Associations-7 Paper-7 Body care-8 Printing/Publishing-15 Building Materials-1 Producers-6 Cordage-1 Raw Materials-3 Distributors-3 Research & Development-3 Fabric-8 Retail-26 Food-7 Seeds-1 Footwear-3 Communications-2 Hats-2 Video-2 Import/Export-2 Wholesale-27 |
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.