High on hemp

Hemp - commonly known as marijuana - could become a major cash crop for Wisconsin, news editor Bill Lueders reports in his cover story, "An Amazing Plant." Beyond traditional uses like rope and fabric, it could be cultivated as a "renewable resource for making paper, construction materials, high-protein food and safe, clean fuel," writes Lueders. The article quotes Ben Masel, a primary organizer of Madison's annual marijuana harvest festival, but also Erwin "Bud" Sholts, director of the state agriculture department's development and diversification program, who notes that hemp grows well in Wisconsin. "My father grew it on his farm" south of Madison during World War II, he says, when farmers were encouraged to cultivate the plant for the war effort. Still demonized by federal drug laws 20 years later, hemp has nevertheless taken baby steps toward greater acceptance, like the establishment of Hempen Goods, the Williamson Street boutique.