POLICE YANK HEMP MASCOT OUT OF PARADE

REGINA - Headly the Hemp Leaf's first Buffalo Days parade appearance may be
his last after the mascot for a Regina hemp products store was weeded out of
the event.

Tim Selenski, owner of Head to Head Novelties, said he followed all the
rules to be in the annual parade on the weekend. Mr. Selenski was dressed in
a custom-made, bright-green, 3.7-metre-tall outfit that resembles a
marijuana plant. He said he had the proper permit.

Mr. Selenski said he was advertising his store, which sells hemp products,
medicinal marijuana paraphernalia.

"Four blocks we walked (in the parade) and one of the co-ordinators asked
me, he said 'there are too many complaints, please leave,'" said Mr.
Selenski, who was accompanied by two friends driving a car with a hemp leaf
flag in the parade.

Mr. Selenski believes he was asked to leave because of concern that
marijuana, not hemp, was being promoted by his presence in the parade.

Tom Balkwill, a parade marshal, said the mascot was brought to the
organizers' attention by two police officers. "Our information was that it
was not hemp, that it was depicting a marijuana leaf and we were not in the
position to be promoting marijuana as parade organizers."