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.=20

(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.