HEMP TIED DOWN BY STUPID LAWS

Hemp is not the same as marijuana and should be legalized. Hemp was
the plant of choice for the founding fathers of our nation.
Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson often praised the
plant in their writings and tried to persuade others to grow it as a
cash crop. Nonetheless since the passage of the Marijuana Tax Act in
1937, this has not been a possibility for citizens of the United
States. A new University study, however, could pave the way to change that.

The study, conducted by University researchers George Weiblen and
Shannon Datwyler, identified a new and more accurate way to
differentiate cannabis drug plants from nondrug plants. The method,
called amplified fragment length polymorphism, generates about 100
more genetic markers per unit effort than other research techniques.
This genetic "fingerprinting" of cannabis is an important first step
to legalizing the growth of hemp in the United States because
differentiating cannabis was not as clear in the past.

The reasons to legalize the crop are numerous. First, hemp has no
drug properties. Hemp would give the United States another important
natural resource. No other plant offers the versatility and potential
that hemp does. Hemp fiber is stronger and softer than cotton. It is
capable of producing significant quantities of paper, textiles,
building materials, food, medicine, paint, detergent, varnish, oil,
ink and fuel. In Minnesota specifically, a booming economy could be
made around the crop because it is frost-resistant and requires little care.

Already in Canada and Europe growing hemp is perfecting legal, and
this is where the United States gets most of its hemp products. There
is no reason U.S. farmers should not be allowed to compete in this
market. In fact, the United States had a thriving hemp economy: From
1776 to 1937, hemp was a major American crop, and textiles made from
hemp were common.

Kudos to Weiblen and Datwyler for adding to the University's rich
history of research and discovery. Let's hope their findings can be
put to good use soon.