DEA needs to get with the program on hemp

The federal government should not deter academic research into industrial hemp as an agricultural crop in Hawaii and other states, given that President Barack Obama has signed a bill allowing such projects.

State Rep. Cynthia Thielen is busy now trying to ensure that Hawaii doesn’t run into the same trouble as Kentucky’s agriculture department, which saw its shipment of hemp seeds from China held up by U.S. agencies enforcing bans against the plant, which is related to marijuana.

The law that Obama signed doesn’t take effect until July, but researchers need to start laying the groundwork for the research now, including ordering the hemp seeds. The Drug Enforcement Administration should not stand in the way of legitimate, legal research.

The cavalry … er, computer … to the rescue

The pervasiveness of technology can be faulted for displacing human interactions, but sometimes the computer really is man’s best friend.

According to the Honolulu air traffic control center, the April 25 midair near-collision of two flights was the result of human error. But the computerized traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS), in which equipped aircraft exchange radio-frequency signals, snapped into action. TCAS extrapolates relative positions and alerts pilots if a hazard exists. In this case, it did, with United Airlines Flight 1205 and U.S. Airways Flight 232. The system delivered instructions, and the United jet initiated the dive. That had to be a white-knuckles moment.