NADER CRITICIZES HEMP RESTRICTIONS

Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader on Tuesday joined people who
want to grow and market industrial hemp in criticizing federal agencies for
making it hard for farmers to grow the crop.

Nader 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.
"Although these foods both have a small psychoactive component, people do
not abuse them."