Editor,
On March 5, the New Mexico House of Representatives passed a bill authorizing NMSU to undertake a study on the viability of a legal industrial hemp industry in this state. Although the hemp plant has always been well-known for its high fiber content and was used frequently by the U.S. Navy for ropes and sails prior to illegalization, scientists have only recently begun to discover its many potential benefits.
Industrial hemp produces four times more pulp, and therefore paper, per acre and per unit of time than wood. The fiber can be used to make fine quality textiles, house textiles and carpets. When mixed with other common fibers, it adds strength, durability, absorbency and breathability, possessing anti-mildew and anti-microbial properties. The hurd is twice as absorbent as wood shavings, making good mulch, animal bedding or construction fiber board. Or, it can be blended with lime to create a very economical plaster or concrete. Its high cellulose content can be used to make durable plastics and artificial glasses. The Web site
GlobalHemp.com states, "Oil extracted from the seeds can be used in paints, varnishes, cooking, burning and precision lubrication, as well as in cosmetics."
As a food resource, the seed oil contains eight amino and three essential fatty acids, and the seed itself is made of 2 percent to 35 percent oils and 25 percent protein. This can be mixed into soups, cereals, cakes, birdfeed and other foods to add nutrition. It is being studied for its triannual crop yield and ability to remove harmful chemicals from the soil. Furthermore, it can be efficiently used to create excellent biofuels and many other substitutes for environmentally harmful petroleum products.
Since the hemp plant clearly has so many potential benefits for our nation, why hasn't it been legalized before? The hemp plant is often confused with its illicit relative, marijuana. As a hemp advocate, I often get the response, "Oh, you mean pot," to which I respond, "No, industrial hemp." Industrial-grade hemp, contrary to conventional wisdom, has no psychoactive effects, because it has been genetically modified to contain less than 0.03 percent of the
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chemical THC.
This ignorant confusion has prevented the U.S. from making use of this valuable, natural and renewable resource. I am writing this letter with the hope that readers will recognize the benefits of industrial hemp, as well as the difference between it and marijuana. Hemp, to me, is an opportunity to improve life on Earth by creating a viable fiber and food source and by reducing our harmful petroleum consumption. Please, don't hate it - appreciate it.
Emanual Storey
UNM student
