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HEMP RESTRICTIONS ROOTED IN BIAS AGAINST MEXICANS

Regarding Sen.  Rand Paul's thoughtful Feb.  6 column, the U.S.  is indeed one of the few countries in the world that denies farmers the right to grow industrial hemp.

Apparently federal bureaucrats can't tell the difference between a tall hemp stalk and a squat marijuana bush.  Prior to passage of the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, few Americans had heard of marijuana, despite widespread cultivation of industrial hemp.

The first anti-marijuana laws were a racist reaction to Mexican immigration during the early 1900s.  White Americans did not even begin to smoke pot until a soon-to-be entrenched federal bureaucracy began funding "reefer madness" propaganda.

Decades later, marijuana use is now mainstream.  Government exaggerations about marijuana have created forbidden-fruit appeal and increased use where none existed.

If health outcomes determined drug laws instead of cultural norms, marijuana would be fully legal.  The direct experience of millions contradicts the lies used to justify prohibition.  There is no excuse for denying farmers the right to grow industrial hemp.

Robert Sharpe

Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington, D.C.