ONCE UPON A TIME IT WAS OK TO GROW POT

There is a back story to the issue of the legalization of marijuana
(The News-Times, June 14). Most people are unaware of how its use
became illegal.

Let me start at the beginning. Full disclosure: I neither smoke nor
grow the stuff. Cannabis sativa is the proper scientific name for this
member of the hemp family, which produces tough fibers, as well as
oily compounds with pharmacological properties.

In Colonial times, American farmers were required by law to grow hemp
because of its importance as a source of yarn, rope, and paper. No
ships could sail without hemp cordage on board to raise and lower
sails as they floated.

The word canvas is derived from the Dutch word for cannabis. Betsy
Ross' flag was made of hemp fibers, and the Declaration of
Independence is written on hemp paper.

So why is this valuable commodity now forbidden to all citizens? We go
back to William Randolph Hearst, a newspaper mogul who had vertical
and horizontal monopolies in the news business, owning not only
hundreds of papers, but also vast holdings of lumber.

But not all papers were printed on paper pulp in the early 20th
century. Many used hemp paper, which was more durable, whiter, and
held ink better.

Mr. Hearst decided to put the hemp paper industry out of business. He
worked with the FBI to pass laws against pot, also producing a film
called "Reefer Madness," which showed the horrors of marijuana
smoking. It worked, and now our jails are filled with prisoners who
were caught up with the war on drugs, which we have clearly lost.

James S. Mellett
New Fairfield