NADER PROTESTS HEMP RESTRICTIONS

WASHINGTON (AP) - Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader
joined people who want to grow and market industrial hemp Tuesday in
criticizing federal agencies for making it difficult 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 U.S. 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.''

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.

The proposed rules ``will continue to make it impossible for farmers
to grow the crop,'' Nader said.

While American farmers are barred from growing hemp, manufacturers are
allowed to import it from other nations that produce hemp products.

``In the current farm crisis, farmers need alternative crops, and hemp
will likely be more profitable than other commodity crops,'' Nader
said. Hemp also rarely requires pesticides.

``The Drug Enforcement Administration and other federal agencies are
greatly out of touch with the American public in enforcing their
medieval rules regarding industrial hemp,'' he said.

Nader said last month's hemp bust in South Dakota showed that ``while
Canadian and other farmers prosper from industrial hemp, American
farmers are unlikely to see its benefits anytime soon.''

The Aug. 24 raid occurred on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and
involved crops being raised for the Oglala Sioux Tribe, said Joe
American Horse, a tribal program director. He denounced federal agents
for invading territory considered sovereign by the tribe and for
hauling away the results of a bumper crop, with some plants growing up
to 20 feet, he said.

``We'd like to get away from federal funding, we want to be on our
own. This might be the answer,'' he said.

American Horse was joined at the news conference by members of the
North American Industrial Hemp Council.