- CORRECTION
I saw on this morning's Rense main page the headline "Illinois Court
Declares Hemp Legal to Consume."
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- Thought you'd want to know that the decision to which
the article refers wasn't an Illinois decision but was from the California-based
federal court of appeals for the 9th Circuit
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- http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/ca9/newopinions.nsf/90DC066FE8E8955
688256E31007ACE3B/$file/0371366.pdf?openelement
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- The federal court of appeals that sits in Illinois is,
of course, the 7th Circuit.
- Just FYI.
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- B. Ervin
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- -----
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- "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.
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- The lawsuit cost the HIA about $200,000, which may be
recoverable. Bronner said the suit came about for ridiculous reasons.
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- "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."
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- 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."
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- "I think it's part of a shift in culture -- exposing
government lies and propaganda," Bronner said. "They're
taking a big credibility hit."
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- 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.
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- "There's been a lot of industry time wasted,"
Bronner said.
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- Agreeing with the HIA was Eric Steenstra, president of
Vote Hemp, an Internet-based company advocating the growth of hemp by U.S.
farmers.
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- "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."
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- "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.
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- "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.
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- "We sell hemp-based cereals, granola, waffles, as
well the oil in supplement form," Hassel said.
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- 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.
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- "There would definitely be a lot of people upset
( if we stopped carrying the products )," she said.
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- 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.
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- Copyright: 2004 Illini Media Co
- Contact: opinions@dailyillini.com
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