HEMP BAN LEADS TO MISSED OPPORTUNITIES

"Make the most of the Indian hemp seed."

No, that's not a quote from a half-baked hippie at Mellow Mushroom.

That's George Washington speaking.

There is a foolish misconception rampant in today's society that hemp
and marijuana are synonymous terms.

While marijuana, like industrial hemp, is indeed a byproduct of the
cannabis sativa plant, the latter is a nearly tetrahydrocannabinol
(THC)-free, soil-enriching, multi-faceted resource aE" which the
United States doesn't grow.

It didn't always used to be that way.

Actually, during World War II, the U.S. Department of Agriculture
released a propaganda film titled "Hemp for Victory," which
encouraged farmers and citizens alike to plant hundreds of thousands
of acres of hemp for the war effort.

In 1970, lawmakers and bureaucrats started humming a different tune
and passed the Controlled Substances Act, which prohibited the
cultivation of hemp in the United States.

How can the government go from being staunchly pro-hemp to anti-hemp
in the span of 28 years?

If the drug movement of the 1960s is to blame, then I suppose
lawmakers forgot to read their history books because industrial hemp
does not produce any of the effects of marijuana.

The THC levels in industrial hemp are less than 0.05 percent,
according to votehemp.com.

Basically, if you smoked industrial hemp, all you would get is a
massive headache.

Lawmakers are aware of this, but their concern is that THC-heavy
strands would be hidden among the industrial hemp plants.

However, marijuana must be grown away from industrial hemp plants
because the high levels of CDC in hemp plants would counteract and
taint the THC in the marijuana plants, leading to a much
lower-quality drug that would have little or no street value,
according to Hemp and Marijuana: Myths & Realities by Dr. David
West of the University of Minnesota.

The hemp stalk is a valuable source of fiber, which is used in a
plethora of products around the world.

Fiber produces greater resiliency and breathability than cotton,
which accounts for 25 percent of pesticides sprayed on the world's
crops, according to industrialhemp.net.

Even Mercedes-Benz uses a bio-composite of hemp to make stronger,
cheaper door panels.

And speaking of cars, as the price of a barrel of oil creeps over
$100, hemp seeds produce oil that can be used as a biodiesel
alternative.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, hemp as a biomass fuel
producer requires the least specialized growing and processing
procedures of all products.

Hemp can also be used as an alternative to timber for the production
of paper. According to the Hemp Industries Association, hemp produces
more pulp per acre than timber on a sustainable basis, and can be
used for every quality of paper.

Thomas Jefferson actually drafted the Declaration of Independence on
hemp paper.

If that's not irony, I don't know what is.

Growing hemp in the United States is technically legal, but farmers
must receive a DEA permit in order to grow the plant aE" which is
about as easy as getting permission from a cop to drive his or her
car.

So if we hold our forefathers in such high esteem, and I'm starting
to think for multiple reasons that we don't, how can our government
not see the benefits of hemp production in the United States?

With the agricultural economy in the shape that it is in, continuing
a hemp ban seems like one illogical slap in the face to the farmers
of America.

It shouldn't even be a debate.

Early colonists and Americans were actually required to grow
hemp.

Australia, Austria, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, Finland, France,
Germany, Italy, Japan and Spain all cultivate hemp for a variety of
uses. Even our steadfast ally Great Britain lifted its hemp ban 15
years ago!

Thomas Jefferson once said, "The greatest service which can be
rendered by any country is to add a useful plant to its culture."

Oh, how foolish we would look to our forefather today.