INDUSTRIAL HEMP WOULD BE GOOD FOR DRUG DEALERS

Dear Editor,

In response to your Jan. 12 editorial, it is naive to believe, in the
context of the political effort by some to legalize marijuana, that the
"industrial hemp" issue really has much to do with farming. Industrial hemp
is one of the two Trojan horses pushed forward in the well-funded public
relations campaign being mounted nationwide by the marijuana legalization
lobby, the second being the myth of smoked "medical marijuana." Both
concepts look good on the outside, but are hollow inside and filled with
dangers.

"Industrial" hemp is not a new issue. After several years of national
debate, if there really was a realistic prospect of an industrial market
for hemp it would already be evident without the need for studies by
taxpayer-funded universities to attempt to find some viable manufacturing
use for "ditch weed."

Industrial hemp is nothing more than camouflage for marijuana growers. How
in the world could law enforcement agents be realistically able to
distinguish between hemp and illegal marijuana crops when flying
overhead? Even tougher, how would the police be able to detect illegal
marijuana growing in the middle of a crop of hemp?

With each marijuana plant being capable of producing around $1,000 worth of
marijuana, it would not take many marijuana plants camouflaged by
surrounding hemp to make "industrial hemp" fields extremely profitable for
drug dealers.

Gov. Ryan should veto any bill promoting industrial hemp.

David E. Risley

Springfield