MAKERS OF HEMP PRODUCTS TO FIGHT DEA

Federal drug enforcement officials are proposing new regulations that would
outlaw food and body-care products that contain hemp. Hemp products are
sold in Hawai'i through major retail chains such as The Body Shop, which
offers hemp-based soaps and lotions, and smaller stores like Hemp House in
Pa'ia, Maui.

Hemp House owner Kathy Barr said she uses hemp oil in her lotions because
it is a long-lasting moisturizer that is easily absorbed into the skin.
"It's our best-selling product and to have that cut out would have a big
impact on us," she said.

The rules proposed by the Drug Enforcement Administration would allow "the
continuation of what have historically been considered legitimate industry
uses of hemp such as paper, rope and clothing." However, the line is drawn
at products that would introduce even trace amounts of THC into the human body.

THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the compound that gives marijuana its
euphoric effect.

David West, a seed geneticist who oversees Hawai'i's hemp research project,
said policymakers fail to recognize the botanical distinctions between
industrial hemp and its more potent cannabis cousin, marijuana.

The THC levels in hemp are so low that you can't get high from smoking it.
In fact, West said, hemp contains a high level of an "antipsychoactive"
compound that blocks the marijuana high.

There are fears the DEA rules would damage a fledgling U.S. industry that
is trying to revive itself after being virtually wiped out in the last
century by anti-drug policies. Vote Hemp Inc., a nonprofit group that
advocates deregulation of industrial hemp, said sales of hemp-based food
and body-care products hit $25 million last year, up from $2 million in 1997.

Opposing Force

The 300-member Hemp Industries Association, formed in 1994, will organize
opposition to the proposed regulations during its convention Thursday
through Sunday in Kihei.

Barr, one of nine HIA members in Hawai'i, has a manufacturing operation in
Florida that makes hemp-based shampoo, conditioner, body lotions, bath gel
and sunscreen under the Hemp House Pa'ia label. She sells her products at
her shop and online, and wholesales to Mainland stores.

"It's ridiculous. The amount of THC is not going to make any difference in
drug tests or how you feel," she said.

Mike Smith of Eclectacare Botanics on the Big Island is the Hawai'i
wholesaler for Hemp-n-Heat, an analgesic gel made in Colorado. He said
businesses that deal in hemp products are at the mercy of government rules.

"We do what we can with political-type means," said Smith of opposition to
hemp restrictions. "Our company fully believes in the possibility of hemp
and hemp products."

Several Concerns

Big Island hemp advocate Roger Christie said uncertainty over government
acceptance of hemp products makes it difficult for businesses to find
investors and to develop markets.

The DEA gave notice in the May 14 Federal Register that it intends to
publish the rules regarding hemp, saying they are necessary "in order to
protect public health and safety." The rules would clarify that THC is
listed as a controlled substance, even if it originates from hemp.

A DEA spokeswoman in Washington, D.C., said the agency does not comment on
proposed rules before they are formally published in the Federal Register.
However, the May 14 notice said officials had received numerous inquiries
from members of the public about the legal status of products made from
hemp. There also are concerns that use of some hemp products could result
in positive drug tests.

The HIA and other hemp advocates argue that natural trace amounts of THC
pose no health risk; that the DEA does not have the legal authority to
issue such rules; and that the rules are outside the scope of the
Controlled Substances Act.

Vote Hemp President Eric Steenstra said the organization will consider a
court challenge if the DEA rules go into effect.

"Even though DEA has proposed these changes, they are not required to
follow through and we hope common sense will prevail once they have
evaluated our objections," he said.

To address concerns about certain hemp products affecting the results of
workplace drug tests, the TestPledge program was developed to assure
consumers they would not receive a confirmed positive test for marijuana
from normal consumption of hemp foods or use of body-care products.

Participating manufacturers agree to keep THC levels in shelled hemp seed
and oil levels below what might trigger a positive drug test, even when
these products are consumed in high amounts on a daily basis.

During the Maui convention, West and state Rep. Cynthia Thielen, R-49th
(Kailua), will speak at a public event Friday night.

Hawai'i is one of 12 states that have passed legislation supporting
research or deregulation of industrial hemp, said HIA spokeswoman Mari
Kane. Of those states, only Hawai'i and North Dakota have planted test
plots, she said.

In 1999, Thielen co-authored the state law that created the Hawai'i
Industrial Hemp Research Project on a quarter-acre plot at Whitmore Village
on O'ahu. West runs the project.

Hemp Can Be Economic Boon

The DEA set strict guidelines for the Hawai'i research project in exchange
for approving the required permits. The requirements included a
10-foot-high chain-link fence topped with barbed wire and an infrared
security system.

With myriad uses such as fabric, fiberboard, paper, rope and fuel, Thielen
and others say they believe hemp can be a means of economic development in
the Islands, especially since the demise of sugar throughout most of the state.

West said last week that he is continuing his work to collect and breed
different varieties of hemp from around the world to develop genetic
material for what hemp advocates hope will become a successful agribusiness
in the United States.

The project's initial sponsor, Alterna Hair Care, a Los Angeles-based
company that uses hemp in its hair shampoos and conditioners, is no longer
involved. West declined to reveal the source of financial support,
emphasizing the project receives no government financing.

A $5 donation is requested for those attending Friday's public event, which
starts at 7 p.m. in the Auntie Aloha Longhouse at the Maui Lu Resort, 575
S. Kihei Road.