CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION STAYING OUT OF HEMP DEBATE

North Dakota legislators are urging Congress to make it easier for
farmers around the country to grow hemp. But the state's
congressional delegation won't be rushing to help.

Sens. Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan and Rep. Earl Pomeroy, all
Democrats, are staying out of the congressional debate over
industrial hemp. At issue is whether it should be treated in the same
way as marijuana or whether commercial hemp production should be allowed.

The North Dakota House passed two resolutions on the issue this week,
urging Congress and the federal Drug Enforcement Administration to
allow farmers to grow the crop. The state last week issued the
nation's first licenses to two farmers seeking to grow industrial hemp.

Congress has tentatively waded into the debate, with pro-hemp
legislation introduced by Texas Republican Rep. Ron Paul. Pomeroy is
not signing on.

In an interview, Pomeroy said he does not want to interfere in
discussions between the DEA and the commercial hemp industry.

"At this point in time, I'd like to leave this to the experts, and no
one has ever accused Congress of being that group," Pomeroy said.

He has not decided how he feels about the issue, he said.

"I haven't reached a conclusion. I am watching with interest," he
said. "I am learning from North Dakota's experience."

Spokesmen for Conrad and Dorgan said neither senator would be
sponsoring or co-sponsoring legislation dealing with hemp. They did
not say whether the two senators support making it easier for farmers
to grow it.

Conrad spokesman Chris Thorne said Conrad worries the Bush
administration will object.

"At this point, we don't see much room for success there," he said.

North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson met with DEA
officials earlier this week to try to persuade them to accept the two
state licenses. The farmers must get approval from the agency, which
has not allowed commercial hemp production but has said it would
consider applications to grow it.

"I felt that we've got a long ways to go with DEA," Johnson said
after the meeting. "They made it quite clear that they still do not
understand or believe the distinction between industrial hemp and
marijuana. That's a pretty fundamental issue."

He said he would rather see the DEA change its rules than try for a
controversial battle in a busy Congress.

Garrison Courtney, a spokesman for the DEA, said the agency will give
full consideration to the North Dakota applications.

"It's still in the very beginning stages," he said. "It would be
premature to speculate on what our decision is going to be down the road."

Hemp is a cousin of marijuana that contains trace amounts of the
chemical that causes a marijuana high, though hemp does not produce
the same effects. The sturdy, fibrous plant is used to make an
assortment of products including paper, rope, clothing and cosmetics.

Industrial hemp cultivation is legal in Canada and other countries
but is banned in the United States. Law enforcement officials worry
that industrial hemp can shield the growing of marijuana, although
hemp supporters say that fear is unfounded.

North Dakota is one of seven states that have authorized industrial
hemp farming. The others are Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland,
Montana and West Virginia, according to Vote Hemp, an industrial hemp
advocacy organization based in Bedford, Mass.