KANSAS MISSING OUT ON POTENTIAL OF HEMP

At a national convention in April, I saw several hemp products recently
patented in Austria. I held in my hands a brick of composite material that
will be used to build airplanes. There was also a pipe specifically
designed to carry fiber optics.

Every country in the world except America is involved in full research and
production of hemp products. NAFTA guarantees this unfair trade advantage,
mandated by the narrow interpretation of the hemp plant by Congress and the
Drug Enforcement Agency.

Automobile manufacturers, for example, are importing hemp from other
countries to produce composites for American automobiles. This does not
make any sense.

During World War II, Kansas was a principal supplier of seed for the
national "Hemp for Victory" government campaign. It is the perfect state
for the cultivation of hemp, as Kansas lacks several environmental factors
to cultivate drug cannabis. The U.S. General Accounting Office refers to
Kansas cannabis hemp as "ditch weed," not marijuana.

Archer Daniels Midland says in its advertising that if we need more fuel,
we will just grow more corn. Yet hemp produces more gallons of fuel per
acre than corn.

Hemp renders 3,000 gallons of fuel per acre. Consider the economic position
our state would enjoy, should we be growing our own fuel.

Imagine also if we no longer imported paper from other states to fill our
store shelves. Kansas would be growing its own paper. Imagine that Kansas
businesses no longer imported plastics. Or that building materials for new
construction came from Kansas soils.

Many more dollars would float into the Kansas economy. That could bring
economic salvation for the farmers, entrepreneurs and state treasury.

Cultivating hemp in Kansas would encourage and empower agribusiness
investors to create thousands of jobs in the new industries created by
unbiased acceptance of this bountiful plant.