HEMP-POWERED CAR ROLLS INTO TOWN WITH A MESSAGE

A husband and wife passionate about educating the public of the
environmental benefits of industrial hemp rolled through Santa Barbara over
the weekend in a hemp-powered Mercedes-Benz.

Grayson and Kelli Sigler are traveling across North America in a donated
white, 1983 diesel wagon. They started in Washington, D.C., on July 4 and
will return Oct. 2. In the end, they will have traveled 10,000 miles --
every one of those on hemp oil instead of diesel.

They stopped in De la Guerra Plaza for two hours Sunday afternoon and then
headed to Isla Vista to spread their message.

The environmental activists are trying to make a statement, saying that
hemp oil, extracted from the hemp seed, can be used as an alternative to
petroleum products.

"The main thing we are doing is showing people that hemp can make a car
go," said Kelli Sigler, 23. "A diesel engine can run on any vegetable oil."

Hemp products have gained in popularity and acceptance in recent years. But
hemp draws criticism from some because of its association with marijuana.
Industrial hemp contains only a fraction of tetrahydrocannabinol -- the
psychoactive ingredient in marijuana -- commonly called THC.

Though hemp is legally grown in other parts of the world, it is illegal to
cultivate in the United States.

The Canadian government allowed farmers to begin growing thousands of acres
of hemp in the late 1990s and Canadian farmers ship the raw fiber to the
United States where it is fashioned into a wide range of products.

The Siglers would like to see hemp accepted and eventually legalized for
cultivation here. Cultivation of hemp in the U.S. could lessen the need for
oil drilling, cutting down of trees for paper and reduce environmental
pollution, they say.

They have paid for the travels with the help of sponsors, whose names and
Web sites decorate the doors of the Mercedes-Benz.

The green oil, which sells for $40 a gallon, is shipped ahead of time and
is waiting for the Siglers when they arrive in various cities.

Steve Levine, owner of the Santa Barbara Hemp Company, delivered about 6
gallons of the oil to the couple on Sunday.

"Anything that you can do with nuclear energy, you can do with hemp," Mr.
Levine said. "You have to continue to educate people. You're just going
against a lot of misinformation."

Before Santa Barbara, the Siglers were in Santa Cruz and next they are
headed to Los Angeles.

Mr. Sigler, 33, says he has drawn all positive responses from people in the
cities he has visited and feels that progress is being made.

"Americans can still have the luxury and comfort they are accustomed to,
but they can be environmental about it," he said.