SEATTLE FEST PUSHES HEMP LEGALIZATION

SEATTLE - A languorous crowd of thousands strolled through a waterfront park
gazing at hemp products and drug paraphernalia Sunday at Seattle's annual
Hempfest.

``Dude, why don't they have this every weekend?'' one man remarked to a
friend as 15,000 to 20,000 people, mostly youthful, wandered along crowded
walkways in warm sunshine.

A whiff of marijuana scented the air, though organizers said they were
emphasizing the legalization of hemp, a plant related to marijuana that
contains less than one percent of its mind-altering chemical.

``My thing is saving our planet. ... If we don't stop using trees we aren't
going to be breathing much longer,'' said volunteer Jueles Scott with the
Hemp Coalition.

``We're not a bunch of hippie freaks who want to sit around and smoke pot
all the time. It's about American rights.''

Advocates said hemp plants nourish the earth and that its fiber can be made
into textiles, paper and construction materials, among other things.
Although it is generally illegal to grow hemp in the United States, the
products can be imported.

But there was no shortage of folks favoring marijuana, too. A group called
the November Coalition collected hundreds of signatures on petitions asking
President Clinton to release nonviolent drug offenders.

One seller displayed blown-glass hashish pipes for $25 and bongs for smoking
marijuana at $50 and $75, which she said were ``really good prices, lower
than the head shops.''

Marijuana's legal status in Washington state has slipped into a more relaxed
position since voters approved a 1998 measure allowing patients with certain
illnesses to possess a 60-day supply of pot.

Police patrolled the crowd. Capt. Jim Pugel said that under the new law,
when an officer sees someone in possession of marijuana, a report is written
and forwarded to prosecutors.

Seattle police had made no arrests by late Sunday afternoon.