MAIN STREET BUSINESS SPARKS CLASH OF CULTURES

Hemp : Chris Baugher says the sterilized hemp seeds and ceremonial pipes he
sells are legal. Police and prosecutors disagree.

Chris Baugher's store in Bel Air would seem an unlikely drug haven, nestled
on Main Street next door to the Harford County Circuit Courthouse and across
the street from the sheriff's office.

But in what he and supporters view as a clash of cultures, Baugher faces
criminal charges for selling what he says are sterilized -- and legal --
hemp seeds and ceremonial pipes at his shop, Global Roots.

Police and prosecutors say the seeds seized at Baugher's shop -- which
features an array of hemp-fiber clothing and other hemp products -- are
marijuana and that the pipes are "bongs" that can be used to smoke illegal
drugs.

"Obviously, we don't fit the mold of what a business on Main Street in Bel
Air should be," says Baugher, a tie-dye-wearing 22-year-old with dreadlocks
who is to be arraigned Tuesday on drug and drug paraphernalia charges that
could result in more than 10 years in prison.

Thehemp-seed charges highlight a growing national awareness of -- and
controversy about -- the nonpsychoactive strain of cannabis, which is used
to make everything from dresses to the Hempen Ale produced locally by the
Frederick Brewing Co.

When treated with heat, hemp seeds are rendered sterile and unable to grow
into full plants. The seeds contain trace amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol
(THC), the psychoactive chemical found in marijuana.

Advocates say hemp, which is prized as a source of industrial fiber and for
its use in herbal products, has suffered from its association with marijuana
and drug abuse.

Mari Kane, publisher and editor in chief of Forestville, Calif.-based Hemp
World magazine, said there is a "real backlash against hemp right now" and
that officials are eager to shut down stores that sell hemp and products
associated with it.

"This single crop could provide food, shelter, clothing and medicine," said
Kane, whose magazine has a circulation of 17,000. "The person who is
importing or buying the seeds should not be held responsible if a few seeds
survive the sterilization process."

Detective Dean Jager of the Bel Air Police Department said the charges
against Baugher are the result of a months-long investigation prompted by
concerns about drug paraphernalia, not opposition to hemp products.

"We received several complaints about the store from people in the
community," Jager said. "There were complaints about the type of memorabilia
being sold there."

The charges against Baugher are thought to mark the second time in Maryland
that authorities have prosecuted someone for possession of what were
described as sterilized seeds.

In 1993, marijuana activist Pamela Snowhite Davis was acquitted of
possession of several pounds of seeds found at her Westminster shop.

In a separate case, Davis was sentenced to five years in prison for
possession of marijuana and maintaining a common nuisance. She spent 56 days
in jail before she was released, and her conviction eventually was
overturned.

Baugher, a northern Harford County native, sees little reason for anyone to
be offended by his shop, which is crammed with jewelry, incense, hemp
clothing and beads, and which he says is similar to shops flourishing in
Fells Point and Ellicott City.

Baugher, a vegetarian, said he opened the business in 1996 to educate people
about a "natural way of living" and to raise funds for a community resource
and recreation center he would like to see built.

"The main reason we opened the store is because we know a lot of people are
moving here from the city and the kids are hanging out with no place to go,"
Baugher said. His inventory includes clothing and tote bags made of hemp,
and novelties such as Hungry Bear Seedy Sweeties, a chewy snack food.
Baugher said he is not advocating drug use but trying to raise awareness of
the nonintoxicating form of cannabis, which he calls a healthful alternative
food source.

His legal problems began March 17 last year, when members of the Joint
Narcotics Task Force raided the shop and handcuffed Baugher, his girlfriend
and his business partner, Lucia Santoro, 23.

Baugher said officers searched through files and medicinal herbs and
videotaped the hemp clothing on display. Officers seized merchandise worth
$2,500, including water pipes.

Baugher said the pipes -- which police say are drug paraphernalia -- are
ceremonial and are labeled "Not for sale to minors."

He said the hemp seeds are legal and that he buys them from the same
industrial supplier used by the brewing company. He displays paperwork from
the U.S. Department of Agriculture certifying the seeds as sterilized.

"Those seeds are harmless," Baugher said. "They were totally legal, and even
if they grew they would only sprout a tiny bit and never become a mature
plant."

A state police laboratory analysis found evidence of marijuana in the 21.5
grams of seeds taken from the store. Joseph I. Cassilly, state's attorney
for Harford County, said that report and other evidence were turned over to
a grand jury, which indicted Baugher.

"Obviously, there has to be some type of evidence for an indictment to be
handed down," Cassilly said.

Hemp enthusiasts are closely monitoring Baugher's case.

Steve Nordahl, vice president of brewing operations for Frederick Brewing
Co., which calls its Hempen Ale the first in the nation to be brewed with
hemp seeds, said his company is concerned about a precedent being set if
Baugher is found guilty.

"I am sympathetic for what he is going through, being dragged through the
court system, having his products confiscated and facing the possible loss
of his business," said Nordahl, whose company might take part in a May 23
event to raise funds for Baugher's legal expenses.

Andree Thrush, a Forest Hill vision training therapist, said she uses hemp
flour to treat people who are unable to properly digest bread products.
Thrush said Baugher is being harassed.

"I feel that if he had a normal haircut and wore a business suit, they would
have ignored him," Thrush said.

Checked-by: "Rolf Ernst"