Pubdate: Tue, 04 Dec 2001 Source: Oregonian, The (OR) Copyright: 2001 The Oregonian Contact: http://www.oregonlive.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/324 Author: Thomas Klein TIMBER INDUSTRY OPPOSES HEMP Harry D. Fisher's letter (Nov. 23) pointed out the main forces behind marijuana prohibition -- privatized prisons, police agencies, drug testing companies -- but missed a key player: the timber industry. The male marijuana plant, also called "hemp," provides a strong fiber that can be made into a number of products, including paper. One acre of hemp will produce as much paper as four acres of trees. Hemp grows at lightning speed when compared with trees and does not displace native animals when it is harvested. Unfortunately, marijuana prohibition has swallowed up hemp with it, denying farmers a lucrative and environmentally sound business. If timber companies will spend $3.5 million to shoot down a measure that would have banned clear-cutting ("Greenbacks take stand for timber industry," Nov. 23), imagine how much they would spend to keep industrial hemp illegal. THOMAS KLEIN Northeast Portland - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens