
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, May 6, 1993                   TAG: 9305060471
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-16   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

MARIJUANA TO THE RESCUE OF THE PLANET

SUZANNE Winckler's April 12 commentary, "Consuming passion hurts Earth," exhibits a feeling many of us share: Our habits and choices are altering our planet, making it unable to support the diversity of life we and our ancestors have known. This is a real concern that must be addressed immediately.

Her answer, however, is misguided. Give up all my books and daily paper for compact discs and computer screens? Not likely. Just because paper made from wood pulp is environmentally destructive is no reason to condemn all paper products. Paper can be made from other raw materials, namely cannabis hemp. (That's right . . . marijuana.)

For thousands of years, hemp provided most all of the world's paper, rope, lighting oil, paints, varnishes, textiles and fabrics. It can also be used as fuel, replacing fossil fuels as our primary source of energy. Cannabis has more cellulose to make methanol or gasohol than corn stalks. And it is easily renewable, contains no sulfur, and does not contribute to acid rain.

In terms of paper production, cannabis hemp is unbeatable. According to the United States Department of Agriculture Bulletin No. 404, one acre of cannabis in annual rotation over 20 years will produce four times as much pulp for paper than the same amount of trees.

Hemp paper creates only one-fourth to one-seventh the amount of pollution of pulp wood paper when using sulfur-based acids to break up the pulp fibers. If soda ash is used, there is no polluting sulfur. Because hemp paper does not need chlorine bleach to be processed as wood pulp does, there is no dioxin to contaminate our rivers and streams. Hemp paper is also stronger, more flexible, lasts four to five times longer and can be recycled more times than paper made from trees. If you are worried that kids will tear out hemp pages in their math book and get stoned, don't fear. It's not suitable for smoking and contains very little of the psychoactive ingredient.

There is not enough room to adequately detail the many uses of cannabis, so I recommend those who are interested in preserving our environment and our freedom look into the history and uses of this wonder plant. Thomas Jefferson knew enough about cannabis to grow it on his plantation. And as George Washington, another grower said, "Make the most of the Indian hemp seed." CURTIS E. DOUGLAS BLACKSBURG

by CNB