Pubdate: Sun, 24 Aug 2014 Source: Honolulu Star-Advertiser (HI) Copyright: 2014 Star Advertiser Contact: http://www.staradvertiser.com/info/Star-Advertiser_Letter_to_the_Editor.html Website: http://www.staradvertiser.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5154 Note: New York Times Page: A3 FEDS COULD BAR INTERSTATE HEMP OIL SALES WRAY, COLO. - Behind a tall curtain of corn that hides their real cash crop from prying eyes, the Stanley family is undertaking an audacious effort to expand their medical marijuana business to a national market. For years the five Stanley brothers, who sell a nonintoxicating strain of cannabis that has gained national attention as a treatment for epilepsy, have grown medical marijuana in greenhouses, under tight state and federal regulations. But this year they are not only growing marijuana outdoors by the acre, they also plan to ship an oil extracted from their plants to other states. The plan would seem to defy a federal prohibition on the sale of marijuana products across state lines. But the Stanleys have justified it with a simple semantic swap: They now call their crop industrial hemp, based on its low levels of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in pot. "The jump to industrial hemp means we can serve thousands of people instead of hundreds," said Jared Stanley, 27. Colorado, which has legalized the sale of marijuana for recreational and medical use, has accepted the new designation. But the real question is whether the federal government will go along. If it does, the impact would be significant, opening the door to interstate sales not just by the Stanleys, but possibly by scores of other medical cannabis growers across the country. But if it does not, the Stanley brothers could be shut down by federal agents. So far the Drug Enforcement Administration is offering few clues, insisting in public statements that while it is willing to allow marijuana sales in states that have legalized the drug, it might step in if growers try to sell beyond state borders. The Stanleys' quest to ship their oil to other states highlights the fraught marijuana legal landscape where state and federal laws conflict and federal agencies can have divergent policies, leaving laws sometimes enforced, and sometimes not. The hazy legality of hemp can be seen in products such as hemp granola and shampoo, which are allowed to fill health food store shelves even though they technically violate federal drug laws. All those products are made from imported hemp. If the Stanleys ship their oil, industry watchers say, it will be the first time in years anyone has tried to sell domestic hemp nationwide. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom