Editorial Page

‘Rope with no dope’

Gil Lawson’s July 16 article was straightforward and to the point. Donna
Cockrel has been fired from her teaching position at Simpsonville Elementary
School for many reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with that horrible
word hemp. Am I to believe that Cockrel is some loudmouthed racist who
curses like a sailor in the presence of fifth graders? No, absolutely not,
regardless of how the allegations against her describe her behavior. The
issue is still simple: the people in this commonwealth are afraid of hemp.
A specimen of God’s great botanical wisdom, the hemp plant has been used for
countless ages for everything from rope to dope. And now, even as we cannot
experience one day without hearing about DNA in a news broadcast, we cannot
as a people understand and accept the fact that hemp can be genetically
altered so as not to produce the “high” associated with marijuana. Rope with
no dope, in other words.
I applaud Donna Cockrel. She stood for what she believed, and that was the
intelligent and logical argument for the industrial use of hemp. I hope that
Cockrel’s fifth grade class takes with it not only a heightened sense of
awareness about the plant and its many uses but, more important, a heightened
sense of awareness that the fear associated with hemp stems from a lack of
knowledge about the plant. Ignorance breeds fear, and fear is a weapon that
has been used against Cockrel to silence her efforts to educate children on
the merits of growing hemp.
Trumped up charges against Cockrel about everything other than the real
issue may take her out of the classroom, but efforts to educate the
population about the merits of hemp production must continue. To be “high” on
life is all the anyone ever needs, and that can only come from knowledge.
That is the only “high” anyone will ever receive from industrial hemp.

David C. Lee
Louisville, KY

SPECIAL NOTE: Ms. Cockrel, having been completely stripped of her medical
benefits and income, is unable to apply for unemployment insurance because of
the allegations leveled against her. Concerned citizens wanting to help ease
the financial burden placed upon Ms. Cockrel may respond to:

Donna Cockrel
1106 Evergreen Road
Frankfort, KY 40601
(502) 2232881