To: The Courier-Journal    Thu, 12 Mar, 1998 As an industrial hemp advocate I was very interested to read Barry R. McCaffrey's comments regarding the reintroduction of industrial hemp to the farms and factories of the Commonwealth in the March 11 Courier Journal. I was not surprised to find that Mr. McCaffrey's comments were steeped in misinformation, propaganda and innuendo. It seems that our current "Drug Czar" is putting his background in covert operations to good use when it comes to this ongoing battle for common sense and agricultural diversification. Apparently, the D.E.A. has much more to do than fight the "war on drugs." It must now dictate agricultural and economic policies as well. Evidently, Mr. McCaffrey is eminently qualified to do this on the premise that he is well versed in agronomy and, though it has absolutely nothing to do with industrial hemp, medicine as well. The Drug Czar is quoted as saying that "Hemp cultivation is not economically feasible in the United States," using outdated and agenda-driven economic reports from the Universities of Kentucky and Iowa and the Depa rtment of Agriculture as the basis for his conjecture. The only true met hod of evaluating the economic viability of any crop is to actually grow it in research plots. How can anyone know the economic viability of a cr op that hasn't been grown on American soil in over 60 years without doing honest, nonpartisan, research and development? If industrial hemp is not economically viable then why won't the D.E.A. issue anyone a license to actually research it? Wouldn't that put the issue to bed once and for all? Mr. McCaffrey's notions that "What it (hemp cultivation) would do is completely disarm all law enforcement" and that "The bottom line is a thinly disguised attempt to legalize the production of pot" are being invalidated by farmers and law enforcement officials all over the world. Farmers in Canada, England, France and China are free to grow industrial hemp and yet not one, single marijuana law has been overturned in those countries. Their law enforcement officials can distinguish between non-drug industrial hemp and marijuana because the two are remarkably different. One is tall and slender and grown in tightly compacted rows and the other is short, bushy and grows in square-yard plots. To say that American law enforcement officials are the only ones in the industrialized world who cannot distinguish between the two plants is a nothing less than a cheap shot at the officers themselves. Having seen industrial hemp growing in Canada I can personally attest to the fact that hemp can be grown and harvested by one farmer without the use of low-paid workers. The war against this crop is being waged by one man with an army of very well paid workers. Unfortunately, it's a war against Kentucky's farmers and, ultimately, the truth. Rob Moseley Kentucky Hemp Outfitters Louisville, 40205

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