WHAT A WASTE

A few days after my last letter, and having now seen the results of
the last green harvest (284 plants taken island-wide) my feelings are
only reinforced: What a waste!

Notice the police don't describe the size of the plants. I'll bet some
of them were "starts" or babies. They are hardly worth anything -
except a prayer and a hope.

About half of pot plant babies turn into male plants which must be
destroyed before they turn the more valuable female plants into
worthless seed plants. So, if you have 200 seedlings, 100 are pulled
out before the other 100 are made worthless.

Out of those remaining 100 females, pigs might eat them, insects might
wreck them, fungus might kill them. Sometimes too much or too little
rain can make a difference.

Finally, thieves, both official and civilian, can make off with the
plants. It's not easy growing enough plant to smoke let alone make a
profit. Today most pot is bought from out of state and the profit goes
there as well.

Some of the profit goes to peaceful hippies and some go to gun-toting
drug cartels that now grow in our national forests because it's illegal.

So, once again police, politicians, scared people that don't know the
good herb but take plenty of prescription drugs - Legalize it! We will
all be better off.

Hawk Hamilton, Kilauea