NORML Weekly Press Release

1001 Connecticut Ave., NW
Ste. 710
Washington, DC 20036
202-483-8751 (p)
202-483-0057 (f)
www.norml.org
foundation@norml.org

January 27, 2000

Hemp Industry Questioned In Government Report
USDA States U.S. Can Grow Entire Supply On 2,000 Acres

    Washington, DC: The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) last 
Friday released a study downplaying the utility of industrial hemp and 
the amount needed to be grown to satisfy current demand. 
    The study, entitled Industrial Hemp in the United States: Status and 
Market Potential, concluded there would be only a "small thin market" for 
hemp products and that only 2,000 acres of farmland would be needed to 
fulfill the current supply that is imported into the U.S. 
    "Those estimates are a gross misrepresentation of the facts," said Tom 
Dean, Esq., NORML Foundation Litigation Director. "The report only takes 
into consideration the textile segment of the market. That segment only 
makes up about 5 percent of the total industry in Canada, and there are 
many more uses that will develop as technology advances. Why doesn't the 
government allow the free market to demonstrate that fact? Why does the 
government spend millions of dollars to prevent an industry from 
developing if it believes that its size would be insignificant at best?"
     The current federal laws have made it nearly impossible for farmers or 
researchers to grow industrial hemp. Three states have recently approved 
industrial hemp measures, but Hawaii is the only state that has planted a 
test crop.
    For more information, please contact Tom Dean, Esq., NORML Foundation 
Litigation Director or Scott Colvin, NORML Publications Director at (202) 
483-8751. The report can be found at 
http://www.econ.ag.gov/epubs/pdf/ages001E/index.htm


Federal Court Strikes Down Trespassing Law As Unconstitutional For 
Citizens Arrested
On Drug Charges 

    Cincinnati, OH: A U.S. district court judge last Thursday struck down a 
city law banning individuals arrested on drug charges from traveling 
through public streets in an exclusive neighborhood near downtown 
Cincinnati.
    The banishment period of 90 days following an arrest, and a full year 
for a conviction, became law in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood in 1996. 
If an individual arrested or convicted of a drug offense was found in the 
area, they were subject to immediate arrest for criminal trespass, an 
offense that carries a maximum fine of $250 and 90 days in jail. 
    U.S. District Judge Susan Dlott struck down the law, declaring it 
unconstitutional on freedom of association, double jeopardy and freedom 
of movement grounds. Judge Dlott said the ordinance violates the right to 
travel and "classifies conduct that clearly ought to be legal, as 
criminal trespass." 
    In June of 1998, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Ohio 
Foundation filed a lawsuit to have the ordinance declared 
unconstitutional after Patricia Johnson had been arrested for marijuana 
trafficking, but never indicted. She was charged with criminal trespass, 
a charge that was later dropped, after being found in the Over-the-Rhine 
neighborhood a few weeks after her marijuana arrest. 
    "This decision by Judge Dlott has the effect of telling cities that 
courts will not tolerate the sweeping of 'undesirable' citizens from 
public areas," said Scott Greenwood, Esq.,  ACLU of Ohio General Counsel. 
"Too many times, cities pass such laws that unnecessarily infringe upon 
the rights of others and offend the Bill of Rights. This law was a 
perfect example of a knee-jerk solution to a much larger problem." 
    For more information, please contact Scott Greenwood, Esq., ACLU of Ohio 
General Counsel at (513) 943-4200 or Gino Scarselli, Esq., ACLU of Ohio 
Associate Legal Director at (216) 781-8479.


Medical Marijuana Bill To Be Introduced In Maryland Assembly This Week

    Annapolis, MD: A medical marijuana bill prohibiting state and local law 
enforcement from arresting seriously ill patients who possess marijuana 
if they have a doctor's recommendation, will be introduced in the 
Maryland State Assembly by week's end.
    The bill, which will be introduced by Del. Donald Murphy a conservative 
Republican from Baltimore and Howard Counties has eight other cosponsors. 
The bill will allow for the use of marijuana for cancer, glaucoma, HIV 
and AIDS, chronic or debilitating disease or medical conditions, wasting 
syndromes, severe pain, nausea, seizures and persistent muscle spasms 
(including those characteristic of multiple sclerosis). Other medical 
conditions may be covered by the law if they are approved by the state 
Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
    Since 1996, California, Arizona, Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Maine, 
have approved voter initiatives to legalize medical marijuana. Colorado 
and Nevada citizens will vote on similar medical use initiatives in 
November.
    For more information, please contact Keith Stroup, NORML Executive 
Director at (202) 483-5500 or Del. Donald Murphy at (410) 841-3378 or 
(410) 788-8590.


Two-Thirds Of Jamaica's Population Support Marijuana Decriminalization

    Kingston, Jamaica: A recent poll conducted for The Jamaican Daily 
Gleaner by an independent market research service showed that 64 of 
Jamaicans believe that marijuana smokers should not be arrested. 
    Nearly two-thirds believe those who cultivate marijuana for personal use 
should not be jailed while 53 percent agreed that an individual who 
cultivates marijuana for export should be incarcerated. 
    This latest poll follows the Jamaican Senate's October 1999 unanimous 
approval of legislation establishing a commission to review and recommend 
changes to the country's marijuana laws. 
    For more information, please contact Scott Colvin, NORML Publications 
Director at (202) 483-5500.

-End-            

Las Vegas NORML
P.O. Box 34473
Las Vegas, NV 89133
Ph: (702) 380-7869
www.lvnorml.com

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