AGENCIES ARGUE MARIJUANA CASES

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- The government fought a two-pronged battle in the
drug war Monday, arguing before a federal appeals court that it can ban
foods made with hemp and strip doctors of their licenses for recommending
marijuana.

In a case brought by the hemp industry, the Drug Enforcement Administration
asked the three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to let
it outlaw food products containing hemp. The court last month blocked the
DEA from enforcing the ban, pending the outcome of the case.

In a separate case before the panel, the Department of Justice asked the
court to lift an order that prohibits the government from threatening to
revoke doctors' federal licenses to dispense medication if they recommend
marijuana to sick patients.

Hemp is an industrial plant related to marijuana. Fiber from hemp plants
long has been used to make paper, clothing, rope and other products. Its
oil is found in body-care products such as lotion, soap and cosmetics and
in some foods, including energy bars, waffles and bread.