Pubdate: Thu, 13 Dec 2012
Source: Orange County Register, The (CA)
Copyright: 2012 The Orange County Register
Contact:  http://www.ocregister.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/321
Author: Thu Tran
Page: Local 15

LEGALIZING POT WILL FREE UP U.S. RESOURCES

The problem of legalizing marijuana has nothing to do with those who 
smoke it ["What a long, strange trip," Focus/Society, Dec. 11] but 
has everything to do with economics and why it was made illegal. 
Marijuana, or the hemp plant, is an amazing species that has a 
multitude of uses. It was that threat that still makes it illegal. 
The almighty dollar is what matters.

There are about 2,000 varieties of hemp. Look at how great hemp is. 
The seeds of its plant are the only ones in the world that contain 
all the essential fatty acids and amino acids required by the human 
body. The oil can be used for lamps, food, bio-fuels, cosmetics, 
skincare, health aids and medicinal purposes. The fiber makes 
excellent paper products which do not yellow or disintegrate over 
time, unlike regular tree paper. Also it makes great building and 
construction materials, hemp plastics and rope. In textiles and 
fabrics, it far surpasses the cotton plant. Since it is more easily 
grown in wider climates, it requires few pesticides and no 
herbicides, has fewer problems with pests and is easier to harvest.

The threat to the manufacturers of cotton is the real reason hemp was 
outlawed. This is the industry that would be threatened if people 
started buying clothes that did not wear out.

One can come up with a million good reasons to legalize pot but the 
best one is to free up resources and prison cells so we as a nation 
can face real drug problems.

It just might take a revolution of a different sort to change the 
status quo, at the grassroots level, working its way up. 
Congratulations to Washington and Colorado. Even the biggest forest 
fire has to start with a spark.

Thu Tran, WESTMINSTER
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom