MARIJUANA'S VERSATILE COUSIN

INDUSTRIAL HEMP, a non-intoxicating relative of marijuana, has long been
unfairly outlawed from America's agricultural repertoire, and its the
nation's loss.

Chronicle outdoors writer Paul McHugh reminds us today that hemp is a
hearty and versatile weed whose seeds and fiber can be transformed into a
wide variety of products, including cloth, paper, food, fuel, cosmetics and
medicine.

Industrial hemp is the same species as marijuana but a different variety
with only traces of THC, not nearly enough to get stoned. Before it was
banned in 1937, hemp was a big cash crop for American farmers.

A groundswell of popularity for hemp products is gathering in the United
States, but manufacturers are required to purchase processed hemp from
abroad.

Drug warriors worry that dope-strength pot could be grown and concealed
among hemp plants, but that could be dealt with through licensing and
inspections.

Unless industrial hemp is legalized, American farmers and manufacturers of
hemp goods will remain at a disadvantage in the world marketplace.

1998 San Francisco Chronicle Page A28

Checked-by: Joel W. Johnson