nnesota farmers (Hemp).Governor Ventura is not the only political figure fighting for the farming of hemp. Green Party Presidential Candidate Ralph Nader is also in favor of this. Mr. Nader has said the Drug Enforcement Agency is proposing new rules that would require a product containing any amount of THC to be classified as a “ Schedule I” controlled substance, the same category as heroin and LSD (Kim). He is also quoted as saying, “ The Drug Enforcement Administration and other federal agencies are greatly out of touch with the American public in enforcing their medieval rules regarding industrial hemp.” With this kind of thinking from some government officials like Mr. Nader, maybe the officials that are elected will look at this in a more serious and mature manner. With hemp being legalized, we could also find a few good uses for it.Believe it or not, hemp has thousands of uses. I have already talked about how it can be used to replace wood to make paper. Industrial hemp can also be used as a form of concrete, which is called “hempcrete.” The Sioux Indians in South Dakota have started using a formula, which was developed in France. This mixture is created when the hurds from the hemp are mix with limestone, water, sand, and Portland cement; this mixture causes the cellulose in the hurds to petrify. The Sioux use this mixture to build houses for them. In addition, short lengths of hemp fiber can be used in place of nylon as an ingredient in the houses stucco. Last, the fiberglass insulation is replaced with hemp fibers. They estimated that the houses are made of approximately sixty percent hemp (Sustainable). You may ask, “ I thought hemp was illegal in the U.S.?” The answer is yes it is. However, since U.S. law does not govern Native Americans, they have passed an ordinance, which distinguishes the difference between hemp and marijuana. Even though hemp is still illegal in the U.S., o...
