HEMP BENEFITS THE WORLD

Hemp is not marijuana, though in 1937 it was lumped in with marijuana
and banned in the United States. Hemp is considered anti-marijuana
because if it is grown within seven miles of a marijuana field, the
marijuana will not be potent enough in THC for use as a drug. Some
countries use hemp to get rid of marijuana growers by planting hemp
around the marijuana fields.

During World War II, the United States promoted hemp and under a "Hemp
for Victory Campaign," thousands of acres of hemp went into production
in the Midwest. Canada legalized hemp growing in 1998 and last summer
had about 6,000 acres in hemp production. Products from hemp fiber
were used as sails on the Mayflower, canvas on covered wagons, and the
first Levi's jeans. Paper from hemp can be recycled 10 times more
often than paper from wood, and hemp does not have to be bleached out,
as wood does. Seeds can be processed for food much the way soybeans
are, and oil can be extracted from the seeds.

Most of the hemp imported into the United States comes from the China,
even though many Americans would like to grow this crop to meet the
needs of importers. Hemp is so good for the earth that it is being
grown around Chernobyl to rehabilitate the contaminated soil. Hemp is
grown all over the world, is a renewable resource, and could be grown
in Alaska as a cash crop.

Susan Ware
Anchorage