Pubdate: Fri, 28 Apr 2000
Source: Register-Guard, The (OR)
Copyright: 2000 The Register-Guard
Contact:  PO Box 10188, Eugene, OR 97440-2188
Website: http://www.registerguard.com/
Author: Richard Lemer, Elmira
Bookmark: For Oregon news items: http://www.mapinc.org/states/or

SNODGRASS BLOCKED HEMP

Oregon farmers will remember Lynn Snodgrass in her bid for secretary of
state. House Speaker Snodgrass was instrumental in making certain that
Oregon's agricultural hemp bill never made it out of committee for a full
House vote. Steeped in ignorance, Snodgrass and her narrow-minded cronies
sought to distance themselves from agricultural hemp, fearing that support
for such a bill would taint them as marijuana supporters. In doing so, they
have cost Oregon farmers the windfall of economic prosperity that comes from
agricultural hemp.

Canadian hemp farmers, already in their second year of legal hemp
production, produce several times the dollar value per acre that their
American counterparts can produce growing conventional crops, and they do it
without the use of pesticides or herbicides.

Meanwhile, legislators in more than 20 states from Maine to Montana have
passed legislation that promotes the legalization and growing of
agricultural hemp. Hawaii was the first state to plant a legal crop, and
North Dakota soon followed. Unfortunately for Oregon farmers, our
Legislature won't have another chance to vote on agricultural hemp for
another year.

Yes, Oregon farmers will remember Lynn Snodgrass at the polls. They will
remember to forget her.
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MAP posted-by: Don Beck