HEMP BACKERS SEEK TO END BAN ON GROWING CONTROVERSIAL PLANT

WASHINGTON - Backers of industrial hemp say the fibrous stalk of the
marijuana plant could be a major boost for U.S. agriculture - if the
federal government would deregulate it.

Proponents say hemp can be used to make durable clothing, carpet, tents and
other items. It is legal to grow for those uses in Canada and many European
countries, and hemp products are widely available there.

But because the leaves and flowers of the hemp plant are marijuana, the
Drug Enf orcement Agency says growing hemp in the United States would send
the wrong message to youth about drug use.

The North American Industrial Hemp Council - a coalition of farmers,
retailers, politicians, manufacturers and environmental groups - is
petitioning the federal government to lift its ban on growing the plant.

On Monday, the Resource Conservation Alliance, which is part of the Hemp
Council, is filing two petitions aimed at that goal.

One will ask the DEA to end its classification of industrial hemp - bred to
have such a low level of the psychoactive substance THC that users cannot
get high - as an illegal drug. The other will ask the U.S. Department of
Agriculture to create a licensing system to permit the growing of hemp by
U.S. farmers.

The DEA provided a statement saying that anyone seeking to grow hemp for
industrial use can apply for registration as a manufacturer. However, the
DEA said it has never granted such a clearance because of concern over "the
threat of diversion" of marijuana as an illegal drug.

'1ndustrial hemp is not marijuana," said Jeffrey Gain, a director of the
Hemp Council who previously served as the chief executive officer of the
National Corn Growers Association. "It's a legitimate crop with enormous
economic and environmental potential. While the rest of the world is
jumping on the hemp bandwagon, American agriculture is being held hostage
to obsolete thinking."

We do not endorse the recreational use of marijuana," said. Raymond
Bernard, senior vice president of technology for Interface Corp. in
Atlanta, said the company would like to use hemp in its carpeting because
of the fabric's durability.

"The disadvantages of importing the hemp from foreign countries include the
costs and not knowing if the material was woven in an environmentally
friendly manner," he said.Bernard said hemp also is biodegradable, while
carpet made, with nylon and other synthetic materials is not.

The council says hemp also has extensive applications as a fabric. It is
widely seen as an alternative to cotton, which is maybe the most
environmentally damaging of all crops because of its intensive need for
pesticides, its members claim.