Free the Weed

for 60 to 65 cents per pound.

were arrested even though they had been issued state voter IDs.

The new Senate bill says voter ID cards should have a disclaimer printed on them saying they are “not legal verification of the eligibility to vote.” That’s just mind-boggling.

That’s the issue with authoritarians, fascists and would-be tyrants everywhere—they’re all about rules and the sanctity of law until it comes to themselves. They want rules restricting your freedom, not their own, and if a law gets in their way, they’ll ignore it or use their power to try to override it.

I don’t know if the next GOP nominee for president will be Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, or someone else. I do know that the new anti-democratic, proauthoritarian mood that has taken over the Republican party

I know there’s a lot of cynicism about politics and politicians. But as someone who has served in public office and devoted years to mentoring young, elected officials, I can tell you that politicians are not all the same. For every Trump or DeSantis, there are many sincere, selfless people who want to serve their communities and their country.

If that describes you, run for office. If it describes an aspiring leader you know, support them at election time. When we all do this, the authoritarians don’t win. And they don’t get to rig the rules against you, me, and everyone we care about.

Svante Myrick is the president of People For the American Way. Previously, he served as executive director of People For and led campaigns focused on transforming public safety, racial equity, voting rights, and empowering young, elected officials. Myrick garnered national attention as the youngest-ever mayor in New York State history.

“Now That Weed is Mostly Legal,” reads the headline to a piece by Aryn Baker at Time, “Hemp Should Be Booming. But It’s Not.”

Why?

Contra Baker’s claim is that hemp is “a close cousin of marijuana,” and not as useful as advertised, it is still marijuana—the same plant—and it’s incredibly useful for making everything from paper to rope to diesel fuel to beauty and nutrition products.

In point of fact, the major reasons for making it illegal as a “drug” included lobbying by Big Oil. Henry Ford designed an engine that ran on hemp-based fuel rather than gasoline, and newspaperman William Randolph Hearst, who just happened to own multiple wood-pulp paper mills, used his papers to inveigh in racially charged terms against “devil weed.”

Now that both marijuana and industrial hemp are legal in many places, why isn’t the latter taking off?

If you have to ask why, the answer is usually money.

According to “Leaf Nation,” hemp fiber sells for $250300 per ton, while the seeds sell expose you to double the level of intrusive government control and inspection inconvenience.

According to “Green Growth,” the wholesale price of cannabis flower—aka marijuana—runs in the range of $1,200 per pound.

And as a farmer, you probably have to choose one or the other. Both plants are heavily regulated and licensed.

Quick high school business math question: Would you rather knock down $250$300 per ton, or $1,200 per pound, for the same product? Pick one.

The only way to unlock the commercial potential of industrial hemp is to completely “free the weed.” Government needs to stop regulating the THC content and do away with licensing requirements for the sale of cannabis. Does that mean some people will use plain old “Mary Jane” instead of expensive boutique strains as medicine or to get high? Yes.

Just like they already are, only at a somewhat higher cost and risk.

If you’re growing hemp, its level of THC (the main cannabinoid in getting high) content can’t exceed 0.3 percent. If you’re growing marijuana, you’re probably optimizing for higher levels of THC—as much as 25 percent or more.

Since they’re the same plant, growing the two within crosspollination proximity will bring your hemp THC levels up, your marijuana THC levels down, and

The war on marijuana was always dumb and evil—and it’s still picking your pocket in the form of higher prices for lower-quality products of all kinds.

Thomas L. Knapp is director and senior news analyst at the William Lloyd Garrison Center for Libertarian Advocacy Journalism (thegarrisoncenter.org). He lives and works in north central Florida.