"Material posted to this site retains copyright. See the User’s Guide for details."
(Ed. note: This is a copyrighted story. This means that the media get to keep control of their propaganda. Stories like this are like small drops of poison that leave no trace. There are so many of them, but they do their  work and disappear.)

Last year, when the huge Bay Area Kaiser Permanente HMO reported the results of the largest long-term study of marijuana users, over 65,000, ever undertaken, the UPI story on it ran under the headline "One Toke Over the Line." This had absolutely nothing to do with the content of the story. Oh, you didn’t hear about the report? Well, that could be because it was not reported in any of the major media outside of California. However, marijuana use had no impact on life expectancy or rates of illness. Alcohol and tobacco use does. Isn’t that funny! One toke over the line! )

Friday, February 13, 1998

By JIM GRAHAM

Monitor staff

Supporters were way bummed.

(Wow, like do you suppose like I could like uh go to like journalism school? Oddly, at this point the reporter starts to do his job.)

"I am not supporting a marijuana bill. I am supporting a hemp bill," said Rep. Peter Leishman, a Milford Republican.

He and other backers said the battle for hemp isn’t about drugs, but is about educating the public on its potential value to farmers and industries.

Hemp bears only a passing resemblance to its illegal cousin, has no potential for abuse and, they said, it is grown around the world to make such mundane items as rope, cloth, paper, plastics and even building materials.

"I have a backpack made of hemp," Leishman said, wearing a hemp vest and holding up what looked like an ordinary canvas knapsack. "Probably very difficult to smoke and you would probably get a heck of a headache if you did."

New Hampshire would have become the first state in the nation to legalize industrial hemp.

Opponents, however, weren’t buying any of it.

The said the hemp bill is part of a gradual, not-so-subtle nationwide movement to legalize hemp’s illegal cousin.

"Who do they think they’re kidding? . . . I don’t believe for a millisecond that this is just a commercial hemp-related bill," said Rep. Kathleen Flora, a Bedford Republican. (Ed. note: Presumably, she then went off to give a speech on the evils of big government and the importance of freedom to a group of disabled Vietnam veterans who are medical marijuana users. When they try to talk to her about that, she has her staff send them a form letter about her support for the D.A.R.E. program.)

Under the bill, the state would have controlled distribution of the hemp seed, and farmers would have needed a permit to grow it. Hemp-made materials are already allowed for sale in the state, and the crop is legally grown in 23 countries, including Canada and throughout Europe. An estimated 100,000 acres were grown in the United States during World War II to supply fiber for ropes and cloth.

But Rep. Robert Boyce, an Alton Republican, also doubted the motives of hemp supporters. "This bill is about marijuana no matter what the proponents call it," he said. "Voting for this bill is a vote to legalize marijuana." (Ed. note: Most of the prohibitionist arguments today are about "motives." There are three things fundamentally wrong with this. First, it is irrelevant. It does not address the merits of the arguments. Second, it ignores the fact that many of the proponents of hemp and or medical cannabis have no interest in legalizing marijuana or may even oppose it. Finally, if motives are to be discussed, what are the motives of the opponents of hemp and medical marijuana?)

Hemp, however, could help small farmers looking for a cash crop that doesn’t require herbicides, pesticides or heavy fertilizers, said Rep. Derek Owen, a Hopkinton Democrat.

And for those worried that growers could hide marijuana plants in with their hemp crops, Owen tried to put their fears to rest: When the plants cross-pollinate, hemp dominates and destroys marijuana’s ability to produce illegal, mind-altering chemicals. He said the plants’ somewhat similar appearance should not be an issue.

"No one confuses water with vodka, even though they look the same," Owen said.

The New Hampshire Sierra Club supported the bill, saying hemp could reduce logging pressure in the state’s forests by providing a cheap source of pulp for paper, building materials, alternative fuels and even food. (Ed. note: The support of the Sierra Club is very important to the future of the hemp issue.)

"The bill will be back next year, and the New Hampshire Sierra Club will see that our elected representatives understand why hemp is good for New Hampshire’s families and for our common future," said Tom Elliot of the Sierra Club.

(Jim Graham can be reached at 224-5301, ext. 313, or by e-mail at jgraham@cmonitor.com.)