TIP OF THE ICEBERG

To the editor:

The recent vote on legalizing marijuana use for medical purposes sets an
alarming precedent. And is only the tip of the iceberg. What will happen if
it becomes generally known that commercial use of the hemp plant can
adversely affect chemical companies, cotton farmers and other industries
such as the lumber and paper producers of this country?

Much time and money has been spent demonizing this plant, and we should
think carefully before opening the door to changing the status quo.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one acre of hemp can
produce four times more paper than one acre of trees. And that is every
year, not every 20. Do we really want to risk putting these loggers out of
business?

Hemp produces twice as much fiber per acre as cotton. Cotton requires
enormous pesticide use -- 50 percent of all pesticides used in the United
States are used on cotton. Substituting hemp for cotton would drastically
reduce pesticide usage. This would hurt our chemical companies.

Hemp can also be substituted for cotton to make textiles. Hemp fiber is much
stronger than cotton and can be used to make all types of clothing. While
cotton grows only in warm climates and requires enormous amounts of water,
hemp requires little water and grows in all 50 states. But what about the
poor cotton farmers?

You folks in the media should be careful or facts like these could reach the
general public. The lumber companies and cotton producers spent a lot of
good money in the 1930s on lobbying to have marijuana outlawed. Please watch
what you print on this issue.

E. ALLEN Las Vegas


Checked-by: Don Beck