STATE AWAITS DEA NOD FOR HEMP PLAN

Agency Would Monitor Production Of Controversial Crop, If Approved

ST. PAUL -- Minnesota's efforts to allow farmers to grow industrial hemp
are moving forward in a move that some say could give growers a viable
alternative crop.

Gov. Jesse Ventura on Thursday contacted federal drug authorities outlining
his plan to implement pro-hemp state legislation enacted last spring.

Hemp is a close relative of marijuana, but is not strong enough to be used
as a recreational drug.

Ventura's plan calls for cooperation from the U.S. Drug Enforcement
Administration, which has strongly opposed legalizing hemp production.

Meanwhile, fierce debate continues over whether hemp offers enough
commercial potential to justify the costly security controls likely to be
imposed on its cultivation.

Controls would be necessary because DEA officials and hemp enthusiasts
agree on one thing: Food- and fiber-producing hemp and smokable marijuana
are nearly indistinguishable varieties of the same Cannabis plant,
differing only in their content of the psychoactive ingredient
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

Ventura's letter proposes that farmers apply for permits through the state
Board of Pharmacy and the DEA. Rules for commercial hemp cultivation would
be set by the DEA.

``The policy has not been changed,'' Tim McCormick, head of the DEA's
Minneapolis office, said Wednesday. ``But we are seriously looking at it
right now. The decision will be coming out of Washington.''