Pubdate: Wed, 29 Jul 2015
Source: Honolulu Star-Advertiser (HI)
Copyright: 2015 Star Advertiser
Contact: 
http://www.staradvertiser.com/info/Star-Advertiser_Letter_to_the_Editor.html
Website: http://www.staradvertiser.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5154
Author: Joe DeFrank

SHIP HAS SAILED FOR HEMP CROPS

The promotion of industrial hemp as a silver bullet to protect 
agricultural lands from development is a case of misplaced enthusiasm.

Sugar and pineapple have experienced greatly reduced plantings due to 
cheaper production elsewhere. The 10-year legislative promotion of 
ethanol in fuel could not induce a single investor to build a plant 
to produce it. The ship has sailed on industrial crop production in 
Hawaii due to high costs of land, water and labor.

Legislative enthusiasm to support Hawaiian agriculture would be 
better focused on improving the water supply to agriculturally 
important lands, enhanced grower access to local markets via an open 
statewide auction house and enhanced interisland transportation, such 
as the Superferry.

Let's not waste valuable tax dollars on developing a crop like 
industrial hemp that can and will be more cost effectively produced 
in other mainland states, if and when it becomes legal to do so.

Joe DeFrank

Mililani
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom