CANNABIS CAR PARTS A POSSIBILITY

SYDNEY -- An Australian researcher said yesterday cannabis plants
could be used to make biodegradable car parts.

A team at the University of New South Wales working to create
biodegradable car body parts out of fibrous plants said hemp, made
from the cannabis plant, could be the best material.

Alan Crosky, associate professor of the School of Material Science
and Engineering, said a plant fibre-based material would be renewable
and biodegradable.

"It would also be light, which would be a huge advantage in
environmentally friendly battery-powered cars," he said. The next
step for researchers is to compare the strength and durability of
hemp.

"In theory, a plant-based material should absorb more of (an) impact
than metal but we want to check the hemp to see if any weaknesses
develop as it grows," Crosky said.

It was not immediately clear how soon the first hemp panels could be available.