HEMP APPEAL, 190

BOSTON (AP) An appeals court has upheld a federal court in New Hampshire
that said a state legislator could not grow hemp, a relative of the
marijuana plant.

Rep. Derek Owen, D-Hopkinton, said he and the Hemp Council wanted to
cultivate cannabis sativa plants to produce fiber and other industrial
products, not marijuana.

The complaint sought a declaration that in defining "marijuana," Congress
had not criminalized the growth of "non-psychoactive" cannabis sativa. Hemp
has a tiny percentage of the active ingredient in marijuana.

However, the federal district court in Concord determined in September 1998
that Congress's definition of marijuana includes all cannabis sativa
plants, even if grown solely for the production of industrial products.

The First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston agreed.

Hemp fiber and oil are used in a wide range of products, from cars to rope
to hand-lotion. The products are sold legally in New Hampshire.
Blind-Settlement askkwnas

[snip]