You often hear someone say something to the effect of, "It's just a matter of time before we (fill in the blank here)..."

And this is one of those instances.

Here we are in 2013, with states and the federal government looking outside the box for any economic boost they can find.

Those ideas, topics and unwritten rules that once seemed set in stone are now fair game.

Case in point, Spokane Valley Rep. Matt Shea recently introduced a bill in his state's House that would allow for industrial hemp production in Washington.

Shea is looking to generate manufacturing jobs in the region to offset the current importation of hemp products, caused by the federal government's ban on the cultivation of the cannabis sativa plant, also used to produce marijuana.

The bill passed the House Government and Accountability Committee last week, and if approved by the House Rules Committee, the legal production and sale of hemp, as well as marijuana items, could conceivably be just across our border in the near future.

Popular hemp items include clothing, paper, fabric, rope, fuel, soaps and shampoo.

Washington passed Initiative 502 last year, allowing for the legal production and sale of marijuana. Although the state is mired in the sticky task of setting up regulations and licensing for the production and sales of the stuff, toking without worrying about 'the man' seems an inevitability.

And it's not just Washington that has its eyes on legalization. Montana, Hawaii, Kentucky, Vermont, Maryland and West Virginia are set to introduce legislation of their own soon.

There's no one straddling the fence on this subject. The aspiring (AKA current) users of marijuana would fall off the fence after a few tokes. But the rest of us tend to see the issue as black and white.

We either legalize it all, and create a whole new cash crop, or we continue to ban all forms of the plant and its crop, thus prolonging the spendy war-on-pot.

In the grand scheme of our economic horizon, I'm trying hard to see the downside to the legalization. To me, the current tokers will be the bulk of the consumer base, and if you put them at ease about using such a product, they'll mellow out, and isn't that the whole purpose of the drug to begin with?

I have to say I did try marijuana when I was younger, but all it really gave me was a hoarse cough and a headache. Maybe that is all I wanted it to give me, but in any case, I won't be crossing the border to 'score' if this deal goes through.

I say if the demand is there, and the resulting crop gives an economic boost to the farmer (as well as those throughout the supply line), let's give it a shot.

The negative stereotypes associated with marijuana use are plentiful, from Cheech and Chong to Snoop Dogg all the way back to the hippies at Woodstock. For many, nothing good ever came out of a cannabis plant.

Well, brace yourself. I quote from a Woodstock-era song:

'For the times, they are a-changin'

Jerry Hitchcock is a copy editor for The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2017, or via email at [email protected].