Last week I heard something good on the news for a change. According to a short clip on CNN Headline News, actor Woody Harrelson had charges against him for possession of a controlled substance dropped.

Now, this wasn’t your average movie star-addiction-charges-dropped-because-of-celebrity case.

No, it was an act of civil disobedience worthy of Henry David Thoreau that brought these charges against Woody.

You see, in June of 1996, Harrelson invited the press to Beattyville, Kentucky to witness him plant four hemp seeds.

The self-described rebel environmentalist was promptly arrested, handcuffed and charged with misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance.

He was charged with a misdemeanor because he possessed four seeds — five seeds would have increased the charge to a felony.

Harrelson advocates the legalization of industrial hemp as a measure to help save the world’s endangered forests.

The Oscar-nominated actor says he staged his act of civil disobedience, hoping his case would challenge the state ban forbidding the growing of hemp for any purpose.

Not even six months after his hemp civil disobedience act, Harrelson was arrested once again, along with eight other activists, for climbing the cables on San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, demanding government protection for Northern California’s redwood forests.

He even withheld $10,000 in taxes to protest the government’s logging policies, which he believes “desecrates nature.”

In addition to his environmental/hemp activism, he sponsored a best hemp-related essay contest for grade-school children (the winner received $2,850) and established a scholarship for students with an interest in hemp research.

I agree with Harrelson that hemp should be legalized, both for environmental and economic reasons.

Now, before you freak out, understand this is NOT marijuana we’re talking about. Marijuana plants cultivated for psychoactive properties usually contain three to 15 percent of delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the chemical which gives marijuana its psychoactive properties.

Industrial hemp generally contains .1 percent or less.

And, don’t think just environmentalists advocate the legalization of hemp. A growing number of farmers, scientists, industries and even lawmakers are agreeing with us.

Earlier this year, the Iowa House had a bill for research into the viability of hemp as a cash crop for Iowa’s poorer quality southern soils (which failed), and in 1996, 11 states had pending legislation either legalizing or researching industrial hemp (some legislation passed).

Hemp production and marketing is one of the fastest-growing industries, especially in Europe.

Last year, imported hemp products made more than $25 million in sales.

Hemp fibers and fabrics are going mainstream because the fiber is stronger than cotton, warmer than linen and more absorbent than nylon.

Just as an example, designer Ralph Lauren disclosed he secretly used hemp fabric for his clothing as early as 1984. Calvin Klein predicts hemp will become the “fiber of choice,” and Giorgio Armani says he is trying to be more ecologically friendly by developing a line of sportswear made from hemp. (Harrelson wore an Armani suit made of hemp to the Golden Globe Awards.)

Experts say hemp is a viable alternative to many agricultural products such as trees and cotton. It is easy to grow, requiring little application of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and it is able to be harvested yearly. It also is indigenous to most parts of the world. The long fibers of hemp can be made into high quality paper used for books and magazines, while the short fibers can be used for newsprint and tissue paper.

Newspaper made from hemp can be recycled 10 times and still maintain quality, whereas traditional pulp-based paper can be recycled only three times. One acre of hemp can produce as much paper as 10 acres of trees.

Hemp has a wide range of uses — everything from plastics and paints to foods, fuels and medicines.

The plant has more than 25,000 known uses, obviously too numerous to list here.

I believe the legalization of hemp could potentially create thousands of jobs, save millions of trees and reduce pollution from chemicals in agriculture.

Hemp was once a major economic industry in the U.S., but production became illegal with the prohibition of its cousin, marijuana, 60 years ago.

Timothy Leary once said of hemp, “They’ve outlawed the number one vegetable on the planet.”

I think it’s time to reverse that law.

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Jonquil Wegman is a senior in community and regional planning from Bellevue.