HEMP FOR FUEL

Editor -- Everyone is talking about America's increasing energy
dependence, but no public official mentions the fact that
hemp/marijuana can go a long way toward reducing oil imports. Hemp is
the No. 1 biomass producer on Earth, producing 10 tons of biomass per
acre in approximately four months. In California, hemp can easily
produce 20 tons of biomass per year.

Every ton of biomass can be converted into 100 gallons of ethanol at
a cost of less than 90 cents per gallon. That amounts to 2,000
gallons of fuel per acre every year.

Besides reducing dependence on foreign oil, a good energy crop like
hemp creates a balanced system by taking in the carbon monoxide from
the air when it is growing that is released when the fuel is burned.

The high biomass production of hemp means that hemp does not need the
huge subsidies required for using corn and other crops for fuel.

REDFORD GIVENS

San Francisco