Any good teacher is going to give a child both sides of an issue. Donna Cockrel of Simpsonville Elementary was doing just that when she invited actor Woody Harrelson to speak on the value of hemp as a crop. I wonder how many of the naysayers had relatives who raised hemp during World War II as a cash crop to help the war effort? Hemp was used at that time for rope and many of the large farms, including Calumet, had large fields of hemp. Today, we import our hemp to use for clothing, shoes and many other products. Why should we import hemp when our own farmers are needing more cash crops?
Too many people lump hemp and marijuana together as something to get a "high" on. Studies have proven that hemp does not have the same qualities to give a "high." Many products, such as tobacco, have some good qualities as well as bad. Ongoing experiments with tobacco are showing promise of medicinal help in the future.
A good teacher's reputation shouldn't be ruined because she believes in telling both sides of the story.
Frances Thornton Spengler
Winchester