SATISFYING THE MUNCHIES

Hemp Backers Get In Last Legal Taste Before Ban On THC Products

Students who grabbed free granola bars as they passed through UW-Eau
Claire' s Davies Center Tuesday could face charges if they tucked them away
and eat them later.

Students for Sensible Drug Policy gave out free pretzels and granola bars
that contained hemp seeds because consuming those products in the United
States became illegal today.

The Drug Enforcement Administration decided on Oct. 9, 2001, that food
products made with hemp seeds or hemp oil should be illegal, citing that
hemp contains tetrahydrocannabinol, the hallucinogenic substance found in
marijuana. The ban went into effect today.

"Hemp has been used in food for a while now, and I think it's ridiculous
that the government thinks there is enough THC in it to affect a person,"
said Mike Gulbranson, a senior who stopped to try the food. He said the
granola bar was bland, but the pretzel was good.

The president of the Eau Claire chapter of SSDP, senior Randy Lusk, said
hemp generally has less than 1 percent THC - not even enough for a person
to test positive on a drug test.

"You can't get high from hemp," he said.

According to the DEA, the legislation is because THC is a controlled
substance, which is prohibited from human consumption and possession under
federal law. The marijuana portions of the cannabis plant include the
flowering tops, the leaves and the resin. The remainder of the plant - the
stalks and sterilized seeds - is referred to as hemp.

The DEA acknowledges that most of the THC in cannabis plants is
concentrated in the marijuana but states that all parts of the plant,
including hemp, have been found to contain THC.

Brian Kevin, senior and member of the executive board for the Eau Claire
chapter of SSDP, said the amount of THC in hemp is extremely low.

"There is an atmosphere of fear and ignorance in this country where
anything attached with these drugs causes a stigma," Kevin said. "It's
worthwhile to be cautious, but it is also worthwhile to put preconceived
notions aside and realize the benefits of hemp products."

Hemp seeds are rich in protein, vitamin E and two essential fatty acids.

Senior Rob Ecker, who supports the DEA's position, pointed out that hemp
has substitute products.

"There is nothing special about hemp that makes it needed," he said, adding
that overturning the hemp ban would be a step toward legalizing marijuana.