Isn’t it strange that with all the talk over bio-fuels and ethanol, the word hemp never seems to be mentioned? Here is a plant with thousands of years history that produces over 25,000 different products, including bio-fuel and ethanol. It is also good for the soil. It has very deep roots that would regenerate the topsoil. In New Guinea, topsoil is by the foot while here it is in inches. To precious to be lost. Hemp has a miniscule amount of THC, which is in marijuana.

A “joint” of hemp would have to be as big as a telephone pole to equal that in a “joint” of cigarette-sized marijuana. My, oh my. This reminds me of my cousin Dick and I behind my great uncle Ole’s barn trying to smoke corn silk.

Hemp is biodegradable. Plastic bags could be made from it that would disappear after being discarded. Plastic is a general hazard in our oceans and in our trash sites. If bio-fuel were spilled, it would not be a hazard. It would simply be absorbed in the soil. It needs carbon dioxide to grow so it is carbon neutral to the atmosphere.
Is it a magic bullet? No. But it would help to create a friendly environment and give some relief from our petroleum crisis and not raise the price of food as has happened with corn as an ethanol source.