FIND PROFITABLE USE FOR DITCH WEED

Time to cull the hemp. The annual destruction of wild cannabis a.k.a.
ditch weed is your tax dollars at waste. Again county resources are
used to hunt down and destroy a plant that brought our fathers to
America, provided clothing, food and the paper that propagated
liberty. Cannabis hemp was a most important resource for life in the
18th and 19th centuries.

I was told the funding for this activity comes from the state.
Regardless of where the money comes from, does this activity really
justify the cost on the environment? Using harmful chemicals to kill
a plant that is non-toxic to humans, resists soil erosion and
provides food for small animals and birds is not wise. Pollution from
the fuel used and exposure of workers to motor traffic hazards add to
the cost of hemp eradication.

Hemp cannabis lacks sufficient THC, the active chemical in
recreational marijuana, to produce intoxication. Many an Iowa kid can
tell you not to smoke it. Wild hemp actually interferes with the
production of recreational marijuana by pollinating flowers, ruining
seed stock genetics.

Cannabis hemp imported from Canada and other countries is currently
being used here as paper, clothing, cosmetics, food and building
materials. Germany is incorporating hemp into automobile parts. Why
can't we grow it here in Iowa? Increase income for farmers and jobs
producing value added products. Please ask our leaders to redirect
these funds towards using cannabis hemp, not destroying it.

James Getman

Davenport