BIG BUSINESS DOES GOOD

While it may seem that the hemp movement is anti-big business, this has never been a reality, save for a few fringe members. Certainly though a number of large firms have benefitted from selling damaging products and ripping off their workers, and that thread runs through any discussion of hemp, especially the fact that it is illegal to grow in the US. However, big does not mean evil, and I am happy to note the positive side of big business as well. In yesterday's New York Times [Melanie Strom, pp. B1 and B8 of the Science Section] there is a story about PepsiCo working with Mexican farmers to cut out the middlemen and increase their profits. Martin Ramos Torres, of San Gabriel, notes: "In just three years, everything has changed."

It all began as a pilot programme with the company's Sabritas snacks food division, and has now expanded to include 850 farmers. Most of them grow corn and sunflowers.
Another company to do good to its farmers is Danone, which makes a yoghurt product in Bangladesh. And Philips Electronics is helping Africans with little access to the grid by selling low cost solar powered lighting.

So we are happy to promote these companies and support this movement. This is good news for a change!

Now if we could just get major clothing manufactureres to grow hemp...