If the U.S. Congress was smart, it would jump on legalizing the marijuana plant and start two profitable businesses that could give a boost to our economy instead of a boost to China’s and the cartels’ economy.

One business opportunity could be producing industrial hemp like we used to do. Hemp is a certain strain of the marijuana plant that has a low content of tetrahydrocannabinaol (THC), the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. Hemp is grown for industrial purposes such as making paper, textiles and biodegradable plastics, and it is environmentally friendly, as it requires few pesticides and no herbicides. Hemp can also be used to produce bio-diesel fuel.

China is the largest producer of hemp and exports hemp and hemp products to the U.S. For the U.S. to import hemp from China is ridiculous when we could grow our own.

Another business opportunity is medical marijuana. The flowers of certain strains of the marijuana plant, which have a higher content of tetrahydrocannabinaol (THC), are used for medicinal purposes to alleviate nausea and vomiting in cancer and HIV patients. It’s used in the treatment of multiple sclerosis and other neurological disorders due to its antispasmodic, pain reducing properties, with very few side effects.

It is ridiculous for China and the cartels to reap the benefits of this very useful plant because the U.S. has strict drug policies that are based on propaganda.

Dawn Palmer
Tarrant