*************************************************              **      This message is brought to you by:     **              *************************************************              **             THE INSTITUTE FOR HEMP          **              **         Po Box 65130 St Paul, MN 55165      **              **      612-222-2628 Voice or Fax at anytime   **              **       INTERNET: instforhemp@delphi. com     **              **        FIDO NORML ECHO: John Birrenbach     **              *************************************************              **  OUR GOAL: The re-establishment of Cannabis **              **          Hemp as a Farm Crop for the        **              **   Worlds Farmers and as an environmentaly   **              **          safe alternative resource.         **              *************************************************              **    If you would like more information on    **              **  Hemp, The Institute for Hemp or would like **              **      a copy of our 24 page catalog of       **              **    HEMP PRODUCTS and INFORMATION please     **              **  SEND A MESSAGE OR CALL 612-222-2628 and    **              **  leave your name and address and we would   **              **   be happy to add you to our mailing list   **              *************************************************              **   Sincerely, Hemp for Victory               **              **       John Birrenbach, Founder              **              *************************************************            MARIJUANA BOOSTERS EXAGGERATE, FABRICATE BENEFITS OF                         LEGALIZING U. S. HEMP CROP     St. Paul Pioneer Press (ST) - TUESDAY, October 4, 1994     By: Wayne J. Roques, Guest Columnist         Columnist David Morris' penchant for presenting drug culture myths to his readership is almost as fascinating as it is inaccurate. His latest chapter in the marijuana fable (column, Aug. 30) faithfully related the tale that hemp (marijuana) is a super crop and may even save the earth.         Morris recited decades-old information about the need for canvas and rope during World War II, as though it had relevance in today's world. Can't you see today's sailors eagerly replacing their lighter, stronger, less absorbant, more durable nylon sails and rope with a heavier, less durable hemp product?         The dialectic of the drug culture says that hemp is vitally needed to replace petroleum and other current crops as a raw material for the textile, paper and rope-making industries and as a food.         Has a desperate shortage of raw materials been declared by the textile, paper and rope-making industries? Was I out of the loop when that report came in? Has cotton - which is economical to produce, plentiful and an ecologically safe raw material for use in textiles or rope-making - been placed on the endangered species list?         A recent interview with Dr. Robert G. Robinson, professor emeritus in the Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics at the University of Minnesota, was conducted by Jeanette McDougal of Drug Watch Minnesota. Robinson was licensed to grow hemp and did so as part of his agricultural crop research at the university. A review by Robinson of the claims of the drug culture relative to the ecological and economic benefits of hemp reveals that they are ``greatly exaggerated, either true of most plants or simply lies. ''         Hemp advocates call it a soil-building plant because of its yield of plant material per acre. Robinson said that corn, sorghum, alfalfa and many other field crops produce more tonnage per acre than hemp.         Hemp is an annual crop and production is just as damaging to soil productivity and loss of soil from erosion as most of the common field crops, more damaging than some.         They speak of hemp's strong roots preventing soil erosion, but its roots are hardly unusual. Corn and other grass crops do a better job in this respect because they have more extensive fibrous root systems.         Hemp advocates often claim that - unlike corn, cotton and other crops - hemp does not require heavy fertilization and is especially resistant to insects. However, in countries where it is legally grown, hemp is fertilized and protected by pesticides like the other crops grown in that country.         In U. S. plots of illegally grown hemp, law enforcement officers frequently find large quantities of high-nitrogen fertilizer and rodenticides present at the site. It is common to find dead squirrels and other small game at the sites as well.         According to Robinson, the claim that growing hemp is needed to reduce deforestation is an outright lie. He said that their warning that we have destroyed 70 percent of our forests since 1937 is ridiculous. He related that we have more forest than before, because of reforestation and management for sustained production.         Robinson said nothing can compete with forests for paper pulp as far as saving energy and using the carbon dioxide of the atmosphere. He said that a crop of Minnesota aspen trees (to use one example) harvested every 20 years or more for paper pulp is far more energy efficient and vastly more efficient at removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than hemp or any other annual plant. With proper management, aspen forests regenerate themselves. Hemp is clearly inferior to forests as a major source for paper pulp.         Prior to World War II, hemp was considered an essential product for military rope. But since World War II, plastic rope and twine have become cheaply available and have replaced hemp for those uses. Plastic is superior over hemp and other natural fibers where rot resistance and strength is important. This may gravely disappoint the drug culture whose motto is, ``Where there's rope, there's dope. ''         Robinson said that the claim that hemp is needed to replace petroleum fuel is similarly misleading because corn is already meeting market demands for ethanol fuel. Other more economically produced plants such as sorghum, sugar cane and sugar beets can be and are used worldwide for that purpose.         For replacing petroleum oil in pesticide sprays, oil seed crops such as soybeans, sunflower and flax are already being used. Another strikeout.         The drug culture says that hemp is needed for the textile industry. Hemp can be grown commercially in Europe and many other areas. Still, cotton is the No. 1 fiber crop of the world and is the most useful and cheapest one as well. For finer cloths, we have linen from flax. It should be noted that hemp has not become a major crop in Europe. Hemp clearly isn't a necessity.         Robinson asserted that, while hemp might be a useful niche crop, it is not essential. He further commented that, in view of its _link_age to criminal activities, we simply don't need it.         It should be noted that there is one serious drawback to the alternative crops - corn, cotton, aspen trees and others - compared with hemp (marijuana). If smoked, they would profoundly disappoint the user. The pipe dream here lies in the claims of the drug culture.         A hemp crop would not be an economic savior, nor a wise presence, for our country. It is just another red herring proffered by the drug culture to distract the public from the harmful information about marijuana and the danger that it presents to our nation.         It is just one more avenue in their endless attempts to introduce marijuana, their drug of choice, into our society in order to legitimize their aberrant behavior. I can't wait to see David Morris' next installment in his ``Marijuana's Excellent Adventure'' fiction series.     Roques is a U. S. drug enforcement agent in Miami, Fla.     Copyright (c) 1994, St. Paul Pioneer Press **********************************************************************