(and it's more true today than when i wrote it...)
The Following was an article i wrote over 2 years ago when 1st posting on this site....
Could Pot End The War On Terrorism???
is the fuel of the future inside that old weed?
By SConn1
Posted Wednesday, March 17, 2004 on Thoughts, Views, Opinions and Rants
Discussion: Politics
Recently, I started a post on the subject of the legalization of marijuana as it pertains to tax revenues. As our coffers run dry in Washington, and our children's futures are mortgaged for the sake of another vacation home or "blow-out vegas weekend" for some overpriveledged snob, we face the very real challenge in finding solutions to our economic woes.
But in this article, let's take a look at what pot could do for the war on terror. Of coourse the kneejerk reaction are those pathetic commercials the administration sponsored last year which featured some presumed link between smoking a joint and al qaeda.
A more serious look at the subject finds us looking at the very foundation of cannibus. Maybe not that high quality hydroponic bud your friend had, but what gets left on the table or tray. Let's talk about the seeds.
Hemp seeds, and hemp being the non stoner equivalent to pot, for a simple explanation is what we are talking about. The energy lobby in Washington cringes everytime they hear about anything to do with hemp or marijuana being considered for anything. Why? because they know what a powerful, efficient, safe, non polluting and totally renewable fuel that it is. For a long time now, the most adamant opposers of anything resembling legalization of pot have been this lobby, especially the oil guys.
What if we started using hemp seed oil to fuel our cars? The technology is there. The plant grows relatively quickly under the right condidtions (and sometimes pretty well in poor ones) and is 100% renewable. The rest of the plant can be used for paper, rope and other fiber related products and a whole host of other uses. Jobs would be created. Maybe the oil barons will be out of work (probably not, they'll probably buy all the farms) but maybe it's time they were "retrained" for another job.
The fuel is efficient. Back in the 80's, people were getting 50 miles to the PINT and doing it with far less emissions than even today's high tech gas guzzlers. Cars never lacked power, in fact, the oil can be refined to a very "high test" grade.
Then, once we had all our cars running on this wonderful oil, maybe these rich arab monarchies and corrupt regimes would actually have to answer to their people. Maybe the arab people would revolt and do the work that our soldiers are dying for today while the Arab leaders sit back and laugh at the foolish, greedy Americans.
Or we could keep doing what we are doing. Being a slave to middle eastern oil and the terrorists who control it.
The only thing I can see in the way of doing this besides the greedy oil company lobbies is the unfounded fear that a few people may smoke some and get high. Puhleeeassse....1st off, hemp plants generally won't get you very high...it's "cousin" marijuana will. But indeed, if we legalize hemp, pot would, in effect, be legal. The plants are indistinguishable from one another unless you actually smoke it. One has a higher THC content.
But is that so bad? Guess what,,,people are already smoking it and will do so regardless of the goverment's will to actually do something that will take the terrorists feet out from under them. A few people high vs. more dead americans? I'll take that trade off any day.