WYOMING BUSINESSMAN GLAD COURT BLOCKED DEA RULES ON HEMP FOODS

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - The Wyoming developer of "Hemp Dip" said he is
pleased a federal appeals court temporarily blocked a Drug
Enforcement Administration rule banning the sale of food made with
hemp.

Mark Daly is founder of the Wyoming Snuff Co., which recently started
manufacturing a snuff made of hemp. The ruling "has an amount of
common sense," he said.

"I'm not overly confident about a victory because they are dealing
with a government agency," he said. "But I'm glad to see the appeals
process has given us some more time to educate people about hemp."

Hemp is an industrial plant grown outside the United States that is
related to marijuana. Fiber from the plant 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 a host of
foods, including energy bars, waffles, tortilla chips, milk-free
cheese, veggie burgers, salad oil and bread.

In October, the DEA declared that food products containing even trace
amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol or THC - the psychoactive chemical
found in marijuana and sometimes in hemp - were banned under the
Controlled Substances Act.

The DEA ordered a halt in the production and distribution of all
goods containing THC that were intended for human consumption. It
ordered all such products to be destroyed or removed from the United
States by March 18.

But the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in an order issued March
7, said the government could not enforce the new law until the court
rules on challenges to it.

The appeals court tentatively is set to hear arguments on the case
April 8 in San Francisco.