The Midwest Regional Hemp Activists visited Iowa State this weekend and discussed legislation which is pending in the Iowa House that would allow ISU to research the feasibility of hemp as an agricultural crop for Iowa. The legislation would also permit research to be done for the uses of medicinal marijuana.

But many people oppose the use of hemp as a crop, although it has many uses.

It can be used as an alternative crop to trees and cotton for the production of paper and clothing. Hemp can also be used for making rope.

This newspaper you are reading could be recycled up to 10 times if it was hemp paper, but pulp-based paper can be recycled only three times. In addition, one acre of hemp can produce as much paper as 10 acres of trees.

Many clothing manufacturers support using hemp for clothing products.

Greenpeace and other environmental organizations support the use of hemp products.

Yes, hemp is made from marijuana plants, but it is more likely, if smoked, to give someone a headache than it is to get someone high.

Industrial hemp contains 0.1 percent or less of THC, the chemical which causes a person to get high.

The sheer truth of the matter is that hemp is a product which could do the environment and the economy some good.

But opponents are paranoid that if the government lets people grow industrial hemp, then people soon will be smoking the THC-packed mary jane brand and getting high.

The Iowa Legislature and 10 other states which are only considering passing bills to do research on the feasibility of hemp’s uses.

It would be wise to at least do research on the use, rather than not do anything with a product that has so many uses.