HEMP RUSH IN CALIFORNIA

Settlers going to the Golden State used to sing "California here we come". When they got there, they grew hemp. That is until the powers-that-be made it illegal. Recently a sensible bill to legalise hemp in that state was shut down by millionaire actor Arnold Schwarzennegger, the son of an Austrian Nazi who joined the Republican party in the US and became governor of the most prosperous state.

One of the desecendants of those whistling on the way to a new life in Queen Caliph's land is Charles Meyer, a third generation California farmer; he desires to grow what the early settlers grew, but how ironic that a carpetbagger from the old world is there to tell him nein. The battle for the rights of the Californians has been waged for years now by Assemblyman Mark Leno, a Liberal Democrat. However, hemp has broad support these days, so no surprise that Orange County Repulican Chuck Devore is also fighting for the right of the people. Devore, incidentally, was once the youngest appointee in the Reagan White House. He is knowledgeable on the subject, and has stated: "It is absolutely criminal that American farmers, the most productive and efficient farmers on the planet, cannot be allowed to grow a naturally occuring plant, that grows wild in America."

Besides farmers and politicians, there is support from the business community, with many hemp shops and manufacturers working in the state, although they must buy their raw material from China or Canada. Minawear and GeoMio are two companies that produce clothing, and hemp foods (including a hemp protein powder) can be purchased at Nutiva.

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