Recent archaeobotanical studies suggest that hemp appeared simultaneously in prehistoric sites in Japan and Eastern Europe, approximately 11,500 to 10,200 years ago.

Excavations at the Neolithic site of Xianrendong, located in Jiangxi and dated to 8000 BC, revealed ceramics, with some pots decorated with spiraled hemp fibers.

In the Middle Ages, Emperor Charlemagne strongly encouraged hemp cultivation. This plant was like a guarantee of prosperity, due to the numerous uses allowed by its fiber, such as making clothes, ropes, and sails.

Intercontinental maritime trade was booming, and European powers were competing for naval supremacy. Hemp became a strategic product. Indeed, a medium-sized ship carried between 10 and 20 tons of hemp in the form of ropes and between 5 and 10 tons in the form of sails, which had to be regularly renewed.

In 1937, the "Marijuana Tax Act" banned hemp cultivation in the United States. This was followed by competition in its textile use from exotic fibers such as jute, sisal, and kenaf, as well as synthetic fibers like nylon, and in the paper industry from wood. Hemp declined rapidly during the first half of the 20th century.

In France, 176,000 hectares were cultivated in 1840. A century later, in 1939, the cultivated area was only 3,400 hectares. In 1942, the American government relaunched hemp fiber production and even made a propaganda film titled "Hemp for Victory".

INRA and the National Federation of Hemp Producers (FNPC) launched a varietal selection program aimed at developing plants with low THC content. This work helped restart agricultural hemp cultivation in several European countries.

The rise of environmental concerns since the late 20th century has tended to stimulate the development of hemp markets in areas as varied as textiles, housing, food, and plastics manufacturing, etc.

In 2003, the InterChanvre interprofession was created to promote the exceptional qualities of this plant. Today, France is Europe's leading hemp producer, representing more than a third of the 60,000 hectares cultivated on the continent, and the second-largest producer worldwide.