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Roll Another One
for release 09-23-05
Washington D.C.
This might seem like a callous question given the magnitude of the human suffering in the wake of hurricanes on the Gulf coast, but what effects will this disaster have on marijuana prices?
It already stings to stop at a gas pump, what's a visit to my dealer gonna cost me now?
I've smoked pot for what? forty years. In the 60's I sold pot for ten dollars an ounce and thought I was making out like a bandit. Now you can pay upwards of $400 an ounce for the gentle herb. A third of our nation's oil supplies come through the Gulf ports and probably a third of the pot as well. This is going to be a double whammy if you have to drive and you have to smoke.
This is my suggestion: that we we take the two billion dollars a year that we spend on the DEA and the several billion we spend on local drug enforcement and invest it in hurricane relief. The DEA is just a bunch of cowboy thugs anyway. Then we legalize marijuana and encourage the folks who are relocating from hurricane land to Kansas, to grow it. In a few years WE could be exporting pot to Mexico. This is not out of the question. The British sold opium to China fercrissakes.
Just think of it--refugees from New Orleans and Mississippi setting up their grow lights in Montana and Wyoming and Kansas. Soon the United States could be known for its exports of fine smoke just like France is known for its fine wines.
Some areas of the country are better suited for growing wonderful hemp for smoking. Humboldt County would be like the Champaign wine region. But hemp will grow nicely in all fifty states and industrial hemp is probably the most beneficial plant on earth in terms of productivity and potential uses. The potential for paper production alone would save thousands of acres of trees per year. According to the U.S. Dept of Agriculture, one acre of hemp can produce 4 times more paper than one acre of trees. Not only that, it requires no pesticides or fertilizers.
Over 30,000 products can be produced from the plant. Here are a few of them:
* animal bedding * dynamite * paneling
* auto/boat covers * erosion control * pants
* backpacks * fabrics * parachutes
* bags (paper and canvas) * fire hoses * particle board
* balms * fiberboard * pasta
* bandages * fishnets * pet foods
* baseball caps * flags * pharmaceuticals
* baskets * floor mats * pillows
* bed linens * flooring * plaster
* belts * flour * plywood
* bioplastics * fuels * polymers
* birdseed * furniture * protein
* books * futons * purses
* boots * gloves * quilts
* bread * glues * roofing materials
* butter * hammocks * rope
* candlewick * harnesses * sails
* candy * hats * salad oils
* canvas * ice cream * salves
* cardboard * inks * sandals
* carpeting * industrial coatings * scarves
* caulking * industrial oils * shampoos
* cellophane * insulation * shirts
* cement * jackets * shoes
* chairs * jeans * skirts
* cheese * linen * slippers
* cloth/paper napkins * livestock feed * soaps
* cloth/paper towels * lubricants * socks
* coffee filters * luggage * sofas
* compost * magazines * stationary
* cosmetics * medicines * tablecloths
* curtains * moisturizers * tables
* cushions * mulches * tea
* denim * natural pesticides * tents
* desks * nets * thread
* detergents * newsprint * tissue paper
* diapers * note pads * toilet paper
* dolls * oil-spill absorbants * twine
* draperies * packaging * varnishes
* duffel bags * paints * wallets
* wallpaper
This could be a bigger boon to our economy than, well....Bush's tax cuts. At least it would not just benefit the top ten percent but would be a real economic boost to, how shall I put it? the grass roots.
Oh yes, moving to a hemp economy would alleviate our economic and social catastrophes and even help solve our energy problems. No other plant on earth produces more biomass that can be used to produce fuel alcohol.
But truthfully, dear readers, for all the vast economic benefits that could be gained from legalizing hemp, the real reason for my concern is that I don't want to be paying $1000 dollars an ounce to insure that The Poet's Eye remains bloodshot.
<center>"Make the most of the hemp seed, sow it everywhere."
--George Washington
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"Think about a reefer five feet long
a little bit hot, but not too strong
you'll be high, but not for long
If you're a viper."
--Fats Waller</center>