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The reason
is simple, actually.
The DEA and
American
law enforcement say we can't. End of discussion. Period.
 The
authorities have three primary arguments
against allowing American farmers and industry to compete in the
worldwide industrial hemp market. Examine them and form your own
opinion.
1.
"Hemp is marijuana. They are the same thing as far as we are
concerned. Even researching this crop is the slippery slope to the
worst possible conclusion."
Fact:
Industrial hemp and marijuana are not the
same thing. Hemp is an agricultural crop presently being grown in
Canada, England, France, Germany and China to name only a few hemp
producing countries. If hemp is really a drug why aren't these countries
being denounced as enemies in our war against marijuana? Why is
hemp listed as a legitimate commodity in both the NAFTA and GATT
agreements?
Fact:
During Kentucky's special legislative hearing
on industrial hemp in July, 1997, the DEAs Director of Domestic
Operations was concerned that "young people will pick the
leaves of hemp plants and dilute legitimate marijuana with hemp
before selling it on the street." Hence, the slippery slope
to the worst possible conclusion - watered down "legitimate"
marijuana.
2.
"Our officers in the field are unable to distinguish between
hemp and marijuana. By allowing hemp to be grown legally we are
forsaking all the progress our marijuana strike forces have made
in the war to eradicate marijuana."
Fact:
Hemp is grown for its stalk and seed, with
plants grown closely together to maximize the crops yield. Industrial
hemp can grow up to 18 feet tall with plants only inches apart.
Marijuana plants, grown to maximize the flowering buds need at
least one square yard per plant to grow effectively. Realistically,
anyone who's ever seen a field of industrial hemp could easily
tell the difference. Canadian law enforcement officials can. Why
can't ours?
Fact:
The DEA acknowledges on its own accord that
over 98% of the marijuana plants that are eradicated every year
in this country are in fact ditchweed, plants that grow wild and
have absolutely no drug value whatsoever. The USA is the only
industrialized country that does not allow commercial hemp farming
because American law enforcement supposedly can't tell the difference
between these remarkably different plants.
3.
America's (former) Drug Czar, Barry Mcaffery, cites economic theory as a
cornerstone of his agency's policy of hemp prohibition. While here
in Louisville he referred to industrial hemp as not economically
viable, citing economic studies done by the Universities of Kentucky
and Iowa as the basis for his conjecture.(see
Rob Moseley's response in CJ -ed.)
Keep in mind that hemp hasn't been farmed in the USA in over 60
years and not one single permit has been issued to grow the crop
in research plots in that same period of time. There's a major catch
22 here.
Fact:
Hemp is an industrial crop with a remarkable
number of applications paper, textiles, carpeting, auto parts,
building supplies, animal feed, body jeans; the list goes on and
on. We must be realistic, though. Even when the crop is legalized
the industry won't blossom overnight. The industrial capacities
need to be in place first. The studies that Mcaffery recites as
scripture base their economic analysis on the one and only variable
that his agency can control - its legality. The rationale is:
it's illegal. There's no industry in place right now. It should
therefore remain illegal. Hence, the catch-22. You can't
judge any crop's potential without allowing the free market to
have the opportunity to develop an industry for it. You can
promote innuendo, though, and that's exactly what Mcaffrey is
doing.
Fact:
Despite the hurdles in its way the hemp
industry is coming together in this country. It's small but it's
growing. Here in Bluegrass country, the Kentucky
Hemp Growers Cooperative and the Kentucky Industrial Hemp
Association are working to develop it. The hemp movement is exciting;
there are untold opportunities just waiting to be tapped. Just
think: Paper free forests and over 20,000 different products to
complement them! Hemp can help promote rural economic development
by bringing agriculture and industry together, creating jobs and
saving family farms. Currently, however, our government won't
even allow us to grow research crops, so keep an eye on Canada.
Canadian farmers harvested their first commercial crop in 1998
and the results are promising. You've got to start somewhere,
right? Go Canada!
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