'POT PATROL' WASTES TAX DOLLARS

TO THE EDITOR:

Regarding "Pot Patrols Fan Out for Annual Effort" (news story, June 30): As
a native Oklahoman, I must comment as to what a tremendous waste of
taxpayers' money this project is. The "ditch weed," native hemp, also called
marijuana by law enforcement, lacks enough THC (the active ingredient in
cannabis) to produce the euphoric high. If native hemp were left to grow
naturally, it would reduce the THC content of any cannabis plants that were
being cultivated for their euphoric high. Hemp is a vital economic crop
that's cultivated by every G-7 country except the U.S. Hemp seeds are
nutritious and a preferred food of wild life, especially birds.

I'd hope that legislators in Oklahoma would educate themselves about this
agriculture crop, lest they be left out of the economic advantages, for
farmers and industrial investors, provided by this beneficial plant. Several
legislatures in 1999 passed bills toward economic development with the hemp
industry in their states.

More than 30,000 products are produced from hemp. These products include
building materials such as fiber board, cement, insulation; other products
such as plastics, industrial absorbents, horse bedding, cat litter, candles,
fabric, cordage, paper, animal feed, oils for human consumption and
lubrication for machinery and environmentally friendly bio-mass fuels.

Debby Moore, Wichita, Kan.