2 of 8

Write now Article Tools

Page 3 of 3

with a brain, the fact that the most common compound in plants can be turned into fuel might just lead them to turn waste materials into fuel; Henry Ford had this idea in the 1920s, and did just that. He was a tycoon, but a sensible one. In contrast, other tycoons were not so sensible, and put large resources behind petrol-based automobiles. One of these was Andrew Mellon, who owned lots of oil, and would benefit from its use - but not from using bio-ethanol. Mellon put money into Ford's rival, General Motors, and the car became a 'gas-guzzler'. Ethanol was forgotten about by most people.

But not by all. As fortunes were made in oil, there were quite a few who stood to gain from keeping the world dependent on it, and they did not just forget. Any competition could mean a drastic change in their bank accounts.

But if ethanol is so simple, then why does it have a bad name today? Well, remember recently the fact that even George Bush was talking about growing corn to produce ethanol? And how it all turned sour as it drove the prices of corn up? Well, that is because his way was the wrong way to go about it. The conspiratorially minded might think that it as done 'accidentally on purpose'. Maybe so. But what is known is that using corn primarily for ethanol was not Henry Ford's idea. No one sensible proposed that bit of nonsense.

If Bush had been sensible, he would have created distilleries where plant wastes could be brought to be turned into ethanol. The corn used for food would never have been sold off to the ethanol industry, and the price of food would not have risen.

Had he or anyone else increased the use of ethanol, it would have decreased the use of oil. For some tycoons who are totally invested in oil, this is a big scare. There are entire nations that produce nothing but oil, and such a change would leave them high and dry.

If one were to make sensible changes across the board, and use hemp for paper, energy, medicine and textiles, heads would roll.

And that thought, just like the prospect of being marched to the gallows in the morning, can wonderfully concentrate a man's mind, especially the mind of a rich ne'er do well who is dependent on drug and oil money.

Learn more about this author, Kenyon Gibson.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

• << previous page
• 1
• 2
• 3

Add your voice

Know something about Why the tycoons fear hemp: From drugs to oil?
We want to hear your view. Write now!