NADER DIFFERENTIATES BETWEEN HEMP, MARIJUANA

WASHINGTON - Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader joined
people who want to grow and market industrial hemp yesterday in
criticizing federal agencies for making it difficult for farmers to
grow the crop. Nader, of Winsted, Conn., also spoke out against a
recent raid on a South Dakota Indian reservation in which federal
agents seized at least 2,000 plants described as industrial-grade hemp
plants by the crop's owner. Hemp cannot be grown commercially in the
United States because it belongs to the same family as marijuana,
although Nader pointed out that the levels of hallucinogenic THC are
far lower in hemp than in marijuana. "It is analogous to consuming
poppy seed bagels or nonalcoholic beer," he said. Nader said the Drug
Enforcement Administration is proposing new rules that would require a
product containing any amount of THC to be classified a "Schedule I"
controlled substance, the same category as heroin and LSD. Exceptions
would be made for industrial hemp products not intended for human
consumption, such as paper, clothing, or rope. While American farmers
are barred from growing hemp, manufacturers are allowed to import it
from other nations that produce hemp products.