Pubdate: Tue, 19 Mar 2002 Source: Casper Star-Tribune (WY) Copyright: 2002 Casper Star-Tribune Contact: http://www.trib.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/765 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hemp.htm (Hemp) 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. - --- MAP posted-by: Josh