Hemp: America's Future? by: J. Deana Cavaliere Editorial Can you picture a car made of marijuana? A visual image of Cheech and Chong is probably drifting through your mind as you ponder this ridiculous suggestion. Actually, the suggestion is more prudent than ridiculous. The ecologically minded German government requires cars in their country to be recyclable. Clever automakers began replacing traditional vinyl car seats with ones made of hemp a few years ago. It used to be that the U.S. was the world leader in industry and agriculture, but honestly, would car seats made of hemp be a viable solution at an American auto plant? Not when the average American's first mental image of "hemp" is Cheech and Chong. The extremely versatile Cannabis plant enjoyed centuries of usefulness until the last 60 years or so, when tobacco companies conspired to dupe the American public with an anti-marijuana propaganda campaign. The question is, can America compete in the global economy with hemp friendly countries such as France, England, and Germany? Shouldn't we consider a more open-minded approach to the cannabis plants usefulness? Some of our greatest American icons knew the practical value of hemp, including Columbus. Back in his time, it was common practice to carry hemp fibers to allow mariners to make new sails or ropes if needed. They even carried a supply of seeds so in the event of shipwreck, survivors would have a way to produce the much-needed plant. Our esteemed forefathers Washington and Jefferson were also well acquainted with the benefits of hemp; they grew it on their plantations. Hemp was a primary cash crop in the colonial days, contributing significantly to our young country's growing economy. You'll find tidbits such as these missing from history books thanks to the aforementioned conspiracy. In the 1950's, the tobacco companies recognized marijuana as their competition and launched into a ruthless propaganda campaign to criminalize marijuana and ignore the industrial potential of hemp. The powerful tobacco lobby urged government officials to "rewrite" history, as it were, and enact laws making marijuana a controlled substance. Big tobacco also set out to stigmatize marijuana in the mind of the average American. Their marketing strategies proved successful over the years. Thankfully, there are those enlightened members of society who recognize the cultural and economic advantages the cannabis plant has to offer. Hemp has a number of potential uses in today's modern world. Many western European countries are taking advantage of environmentally safe options that hemp offers, such as building materials, biomass, fuel, and seed oil. Can the U.S. continue to ignore hemp as an industrial resource? Members of Hemp Industries Association (HIA) think hemp is the key to our economy's future, as well as our ecology's. "It's an issue of not destroying the Earth, of freedom, of justice, and of patriotism. I love this country. I think the hemp plant can save it. I think that the fact the hemp plant is illegal is a sign that something is terribly wrong here, and I want to change it," says Ed Saukkooja, owner of Hemp Express. While there is a growing demand in America for hemp based products such as clothing and cosmetics, these items must be imported from other countries. Why can't we produce these goods domestically? Our agricultural resources could produce hemp in quantities large enough to impact industrial applications such as paper and plastic making. Hemp could even be considered as a renewable energy source such as methanol. Hemp industry advocates tend to stress the need to maintain strict separation of the many uses of cannabis, including industrial, medicinal, recreational, and spiritual. HIA members fear legalizing hemp cultivation could be near impossible because of the irrational fears the American public has of marijuana. This argument has been dubbed the "Rope vs. Dope" debate. It's obvious that Americans need to abandon outdated views of cannabis as being evil. It has unlimited profit potential in industry and agriculture. Other countries have embraced cannabis as an environmentally friendly tool. If America wants to continue to compete in the global economy, we must open our minds to new solutions to today's problems--like car seats made out of hemp. That's pretty clever.

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