COURT DECLARES HEMP LEGAL TO CONSUME

A 2 1/2-year-old legal battle is over and the winner is hemp -- the
plant some confuse as having the same effects as marijuana.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Feb. 6 that hemp-based foods
are safe for human consumption, going against the case laid out by the
Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).

The hemp plant has been controversial for years because it contains
THC, a psychoactive chemical called delta-l-tetrahydrocannabinol that
can induce a high.

Representatives for The Hemp Industries Association of America (HIA),
which represents over 200 hemp companies in North America, said the
association was ecstatic with the decision.

The HIA based its arguments upon the fact that the DEA's arguments
ignored the specific exemption Congress made in the Controlled
Substances Act. The act excludes hemp oil, seed and fiber from regulation.

"Based on the decision, the court reasonably views trace insignificant
amounts of THC in hemp seed in the same way as it sees trace amounts
of opiates in poppy seeds," said David Bronner, chair of the HIA Food
and Oil Committee.

The lawsuit cost the HIA about $200,000, which may be recoverable.
Bronner said the suit came about for ridiculous reasons.

"It's a really convoluted argument, so it's a really bogus thing,"
Bronner said. "But the DEA has a lot of resources to put into this.
It's absolutely absurd -- there's no chance of flunking a drug test
when you use hemp-based products."

He explained that varieties of cannabis have never been psychoactive
and that many other countries recognize the fact and grow hemp as an
agricultural crop. He felt this was a sign that the United States had
a "hysterical policy on cannabis in general."

"I think it's part of a shift in culture -- exposing government lies
and propaganda," Bronner said. "They're taking a big credibility hit."

Now that the lawsuit is over, the HIA plans to make up for lost time
by concentrating on marketing and getting hemp products on more shelves.

"There's been a lot of industry time wasted," Bronner said.

Agreeing with the HIA was Eric Steenstra, president of Vote Hemp, an
Internet-based company advocating the growth of hemp by U.S. farmers.

"We were definitely ecstatic that we got a diverse unanimous ruling,"
Steenstra said. "We didn't think there was a controversy to begin
with, but the DEA decided to regulate these products -- which was
clearly wrong because the Congress had exempted them. The DEA is
supposed to enforce laws -- not make new ones."

Will Glaspy, spokesman for the DEA, said the DEA was still working
with its attorneys as to what response it would have to the ruling.

However, there are some who fear this ruling will form a
slippery-slope argument for legalizing marijuana.

While the the two causes are similar, it is wrong to equalize hemp and
marijuana, said Danielle Schumacher, senior in LAS and president of
the University chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of
Marijuana Laws.

"People who try to equate hemp and marijuana are completely ignorant,"
Schumacher said. "(Hemp) is a part of the marijuana movement, but you
need to clear up the confusion between the two if (hemp) is to help
(the marijuana movement)."

Steenstra added a similar argument.

"It's sort of like saying poppy seed bagels are a stalking horse for
opium," Steenstra said.

As a community particularly concerned with the difference between
agricultural and drug crops, hemp is of special significance. Serena
Hassel, a manager and buyer at Strawberry Fields Natural Food Store,
306 W. Springfield Ave., said the store does sell hemp-based products.

"We sell hemp-based cereals, granola, waffles, as well the oil in
supplement form," Hassel said.

Hassel said she felt the ruling was a good thing and compared the
amounts of THC in hemp to finding a grain of sand in a garbage dump
truck.

"There would definitely be a lot of people upset (if we stopped
carrying the products)," she said.

Hemp has yet to find acceptance within the University Housing. Kirsten
Ruby, assistant director of housing for marketing, said the University
Dining Services did not serve any hemp-based products currently and
did not plan to do so in the future.