From Popular Mechanics - March, 1997

Page 22

Putting Cannabis in Cars

ULM, GERMANY - Seeking to put more environment-friendly materials in its cars, Daimler-Benz may replace fiberglass matte with marijuana.

"The relaxation of legislation [forbidding] the cultivation of hemp in Germany has awakened the interest of the scientists," said a company spokesman. Engineers like using hemp fibers because they are more rigid and pest-resistant than flax, another natural reinforcing material.

Don't expect to see fields of Cannabis Sativa here in the United States. Instead, the Department of Agriculture is trying to convince farmers to plant a new, non-narcotic variety called Tropic Sun as an erosion-limiting cover crop.

(Accompanied by a picture showing a harvesting machine harvesting hemp plants about ten feet tall.)

Picture Caption: Hemp absorbs less resin than flax, which says the automaker, in turn reduces air pollution.