The recent county commissioner candidates’ Q&A had a question referring to potential hemp growing in our county. The article (Journal, March 3) read that one candidate was “grilled” about his interest in hemp production like it is a bad thing.

The fact is, hemp has more potential for our county than any other crop. The uneducated believe it is like marijuana, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Hemp has more than 25,000 uses, and not one of them gets you “high.” With our slow county economy, shouldn’t we be looking for any and all legal ways to employ our citizens, grow our community and promote Montezuma County as forward-thinking?

Hemp may be one worth looking in to. It takes far less water to grow than hay and has a much greater return. We can bury our heads in the sand while others take advantage of an industry that is on the verge of an explosion or educate ourselves and reap the rewards this crop has to offer.

The old saying “Montezuma County is a great place to live but a hard place to make a living” rings true for more people than not. To all voters of all political sides, vote for growth and prosperity. It’s happening all around us, so let’s get our share. Who has the guts and grit enough to try to be a leader on something that could revive and renew our great little spot in the world? I’m in. Who else?

John Anderson

Cortez