MP'S HEMP SUIT TAILOR'S DELIGHT

The most talked-about item of clothing to grace a parliamentarian since
that infamous pair of silky boxers will make its first public appearance
tomorrow. When Green MP Nandor Tanczos walks up the steps of Parliament to
be officially sworn in, he will be clad in a brand-new hemp suit.

He expects some people to ask him why he did not follow through on his
promise. "People expect it to be like sackcloth." But the dark blue fabric
was soft, textured, and a tailor's delight, he said.

Posing in Ponsonby's Western Park yesterday in the hemp and wool blend
creation, his metre-long dreadlocks arranged in turbanlike fashion on his
head, Mr Tanczos appeared the perfect poster-child for the creation of a
New Zealand hemp industry.

Hemp is a woody variety of the cannabis plant, and while it is legal to
import finished hemp products, importing hemp seed is illegal.

The Green Party wants trials of hemp crop in New Zealand, following the
trend in more then 30 countries.

As co-founder and owner of the Hemp Store, Mr Tanczos also saw the sales
potential for the suits in Parliament. "I'd happily take orders."

He said his suit was comfortable, and breathed well.

Hemp promoters say there is no risk of hemp being used as a drug.