CUSTOMS SEIZES HEMP PRODUCTS DESTINED FOR TANCZOS' STORE

Auckland: Customs has seized a shipment of hemp products destined for an
Auckland store co-owned by Green party MP Nandor Tanczos.

The Hemp Store Aotearoa yesterday filed papers in the Manukau District Court
seeking to have the Customs Service release the products, worth about
$20,000.

The consignment contains hemp tea and a brand of smoking mixture from
Germany called Knaster Hanf.

Mr Tanczos said customs had approved the entry of such products before and
he was unsure why this shipment had been seized.

Customs had been provided with the correct import documentation, which
showed levels of THC - the active ingredient in marijuana - in the products
were well below the usual 0.3% for hemp, he said.

Hemp Store spokesman Chris Fowlie said it was the first seizure in seven
years of the company's importing hemp products. Customs would only tell him
that the shipment had been identified as cannabis. The seizure notice did
not mention THC levels in the products.

Customs spokeswoman Lisa-Marie Richan said "an amount of cannabis" had been
seized but the service could not comment further as the matter was now
before the courts.

Simon Williamson, drug investigations operations manager, was yesterday
quoted as saying a total of 56kg of cannabis had been intercepted at
Auckland Airport.

Mr Tanczos said he did not blame customs for taking action, although the
service had been inconsistent in its approach to hemp products, and a law
change was required.

He has proposed an amendment to the Misuse of Drugs Act that would establish
a THC content threshold, which would distinguish between marijuana and hemp.

His private member's Bill, introduced in May 2001 to deal with the issue, is
expected to come before the primary production select committee again in a
few weeks.

"Until the law is changed, there is confusion about whether the laws
governing marijuana apply to hemp, which is not psycho-active.

"Potentially, an importer of hemp jeans could be prosecuted for importation
of a Class C controlled substance."

Mr Tanczos said he had not considered severing his ties as a director and
shareholder in the store while in Parliament.