LICENSING HEMP WOULD YIELD BENEFITS

Regarding the Jan. 25 online Columbian story, "Bill would sell pot in
Washington liquor stores," Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson, D-Seattle, raises
the point that the government should regulate and tax marijuana. She
also advocates giving licenses to marijuana growers. The story does
not address how this would be beneficial to us in such economic turmoil.

Critics raised a concern about marijuana's use as a drug, but they did
not talk about its other uses. Hemp, which is in the marijuana family,
can be used for clothing, biofuels, renewable energy, rope, food, and
other things. The United States imports processed hemp from other
countries since it is illegal to grow it here. If we were to license
certain growers, we could save money by reducing the amount of
imported hemp.

In the economic state we are in, this small step could be exactly what
we need in order to get back to the top.

Ashley Jhaveri

Ridgefield