NON-PROFITS SHOULD GROW AND SELL HEMP, S.F. SUPERVISOR SAYS

SAN FRANCISCO -- A city supervisor wants San Francisco to climb on the
hemp bandwagon by allowing non-profit groups to grow the banned plant
for commercial sale.

Imports of hemp products reached $75 million in 1997, and San
Francisco Supervisor Mark Leno wants non-profit groups to take
advantage of the growing industry.

Hemp fibers are used in products such as carpet, clothing, food, paper
and soap.

Hemp is a milder cousin of marijuana and can be grown for industrial
purposes in the United States, with a permit. But the federal
government considers the plant a drug like marijuana, and has blocked
most permits since the 1950s.

Leno has asked the city attorney's office to draft an ordinance to
implement his idea. His proposal is similar to a law in North Dakota
that allows farmers to ask for permits from the Drug Enforcement
Agency to grow hemp.