HEMP, HYPE: MARLEY LIKES THEM BOTH

Associated Press SAN DIEGO -- Ziggy Marley Endorses Hemp Energy Protein Bars.

"I don't lend myself to endorsing stuff, but I believe in the hemp bar,"
the Rastafarian reggae artist said. "Hemp has so many different uses. I
want you all to support it, promote it and eat it."

San Diego-based Govinda's Fitness Foods, which has marketed the Bliss Bar
line to thousands of health-food stores for years, sent off a sample of the
fibrous snack to Marley, who is the son of the late musical icon Bob Marley.

Ziggy liked it.

He agreed to endorse the product and vigorously promote it on his current
world tour. Marley gets 4 percent of the sales, which he donates to charity.

Govinda's revenues are expected to climb from $1.7 million in 1999 to $5.5
million this year, due largely to the Marley-hemp connection.

"We're offering the hemp bar for its healthful qualities, including Omega 3
and Omega 6 oils and other fatty acids," said Bill Willis, who co-owns
Govinda's with Larry Gatpandan and Stefan Knueppel.

Industrial hemp contains trace levels of Delta-9 Tetrahydro-cannabinol, or
THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.

"No one gets high eating our bars. ... You'd have to eat 500 pounds even to
feel a slight buzz," said Willis, adding that he and his partners abhor any
intoxicants.

Even though Govinda's professes a drug-free philosophy, drug enforcement
officials said the company's use of hemp may indirectly glorify marijuana
and promote its legalization.

"I don't see too many good things coming out of making hemp bars," Drug
Enforcement Administration spokesman Vince Rice said. "It's sending the
wrong message."

Govinda's products include the original line of Bliss Bars, which are now
available in 13 varieties, and the hemp bars, which come in four flavors.