PRO HEMP GROUP WANTS COMPANIES TO USE CANNABIS TO POWER VEHICLES

In a twist of logic, pro-hemp protesters picketed a Melbourne gas station
during the evening rush hour Wednesday. Their message: "Don't use gas, use
cannabis."

About a dozen hard-core hemp promoters from around the state descended on
the Shell Gas station at the corner of Harbor City Boulevard and St. Clair
Street. For hours they chanted, screamed, and hoisted signs toward honking
motorists.

"We are asking people to not buy gas at all", said 36-year old Kevin Aplin
who's been promoting the medical and industrial uses of the cannabis plant
full time for ten years. "We're looking for companies to start using hemp
instead of oil."

They argue that hemp could be used to manufacture a fuel that would power
automobiles.

The protest was the first ever at the station and baffled its owners.

"If they have a problem with Shell they should go to the company, not to the
poor people who work 16 hours a day to live", said Rahman Kahn, who has
owned the station for six years. "They are hurting my business."

Protesters say they want all oil companies to start experimenting with hemp
fibers as fuel, but they targeted the shell station because of the
companiy's pro-apartheid stance in South Africa during the 1980's.

"I've heard of any number of strange ones over the years, but this may be
the most off the wall ever.", shell spokeswoman Kitty Borah said from the
company's headquaters in Houston.

Borah said the protesters' gripes should not be directed toward Shell or any
of its franchises because only the company's parent operation, Royal
Dutch/Shell, operated in South Africa.

Either way,"there will be more protests in the coming weeks", said Jodi
James, who brought her 1-year-old son Justus to the protest.

Organizers hope the rallies spark intrest in the 6th Annual Hemp Freedom
Fest they expect will attract 5,000 people to Wickham Park this November.

Scott Bledsoe 27, was on hand at Wednesday's protest as a delegate from
Cannabis Action Network.

According to Bledsoe, the network already has gotten 50,000 signatures on a
petition to hold a referendum on legalizing the medical use of marijuana in
Florida. A handful of passers-by added to that list Wednesday.

The movement needs 435,000 signatures by next June to get the referendum on
the November 2000 ballot.

James said the next local protest may target a drug-testing center.

"We believe drug testing discriminates against marijuana users", Aplin said.

"Cocaine only remains in your system for a couple of days, Marijuana may be
linger for 30 to 60 days............We believe that people like airline
pilots should be tested. But you should not have to be tested for every job"