Industrial Hemp in Austria

Abstract Although Austria's history of industrial hemp is very similar to that of other countries, there are some peculiarities, like the huge number of place-names called after the plant or the fact that its cultivation has never been prohibited. Austrian hemp products include isolation pads, food, cosmetics, and beer. A remarkable invention is the so called Hempstone, a material solely consisting of hemp and water, serving as raw material for a wide range of products like furniture, music instruments or jewellery. Furthermore, Austria is the first European country to produce hemp milk out of hemp seed. Nevertheless commercialisation and access to the products should be improved, as Austria is the only German speaking nation without its own hemp fair.