America loves the outlaw, especially in glitzy Los Angeles. That's
something I discovered last year over dinner at a Hollywood Bowl concert
with my mother, sister and daughter. We were talking about the business I'm
in- industrial hemp- and mom said she had a dream where she met a certain
movie star hemp celebrity and, in it, he told her that I was going to go to
jail.

By the time I finished choking on my pasta salad there seemed to be
a lull in the din, and I said, perhaps a little too loudly, "well, I might
just have to go to jail." As soon as the words left my mouth I was in an EF
Hutten commercial with the voice-over saying: "when Mari Kane talks, people
listen." The vibe that a crowd of opera buffs heard my announcement of
guilt was so strong you could have heard a napkin drop. Sitting there, I
got the feeling they were more than a bit titillated as they wondered if
they'd seen me on TV.

My reason for imparting this amusing memory and the reason I
blurted out that I was headed for jail, is because it now looks, more than
ever, that I am.

This is because the Federal bill I told my mother and sister about
that evening is still alive. It is S.486, and is called the Defeat of
Methamphetamine Act but will be remembered as the Death of Free Speech Act.
Sponsored by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), the co-author is none other than my
own Senator, Diane Feinstein (D-CA) from the state where the most valuable
crop is cannabis.

Anyone who was shocked to learn that taxpayer dollars are being
used to insert anti-drug themes into Hollywood productions will be
mortified to know that producers of pro-drug information are soon to become
canaries in a constitutional coalmine. The part that would put me in jail
reads:

"It shall be unlawful for any person to teach or demonstrate the
manufacture of a controlled substance, or to distribute by any means,
information pertaining to, in whole or in part, the manufacture or use of a
controlled substance, with the intent that the teaching, demonstration, or
information be used for, or in furtherance of, an activity that constitutes
a Federal crime."

I've never been arrested, have always filed my taxes and I vote
regularly. But it just so happens that I have a web site devoted to
industrial hemp, the legal stuff that is connected, both politically and
genetically, to marijuana. I never thought of hemppages.com as a tool for
teaching an activity that constitutes a Federal crime, but it does contain
an excellent article on medical marijuana by Harvard MD Lester Grinspoon,
as well as various stories about Prop 215 and cannabis-related books for
sale. If the Defeat of Meth bill becomes law, I will be a criminal for
posting all of this information!

It's a wacky world where one can go to jail not for growing,
trafficking or dealing drugs, but by simply talking about them! Today's
law-abiding activist is tomorrow's political prisoner.

Last year at the Hollywood Bowl I laughed about this bill,
incredulous that it would ever go anywhere. Now, I'm very, very concerned
since the Senate has passed their version of the bill and has sent it off
to the House.

While the Meth bill is a clear violation of the First Amendment,
House sponsor Chris Cannon is unconcerned about it's constitutionality and
is emboldened by a recent case where Paladin Press settled a suit in which
a reader of their how-to-commit-a-murder guide, "Hit Man," used the book in
a real-life triple murder. The victim's families sued Paladin in civil
court and the publisher settled for $5 million. If S.R. 486 is passed, the
government will use this precedent to defend drug censorship.

However, Paladin's book promoted murder- an age-old crime against
humanity, where anti-drug war publishers are non-violently passing
information on a 70 year-old political quagmire. There is a difference.

The desire for free speech and religion are what drove the Pilgrims
to this continent in the first place and by abandoning these principles to
Drug War hysteria we will propel ourselves back to pre-Enlightenment
Europe. If the drug debate is allowed to be silenced by the law then any
kind of speech can be repressed.

The Defeat of Meth bill should be killed immediately and our
representatives need to be reminded that while drug paranoia may come and
go, the Constitution is here to stay.

As for me, I won't ever shut up - even under lock-down.

Author Mari Kane is the publisher of The International Hemp Journal
(formerly known as HempWorld), and Hemp Pages-The Hemp Industry Source
Book, and is a board member of the Hemp Industries Association and
Californians for Industrial Renewal. She can be contacted at
mari@marikane.com, or visit the Hemp Pages website at
http://www.hemppages.com .

END

__________________________________________________________________________

Mari Kane is the publisher of The International Hemp Journal, formerly
known as HempWorld, and Hemp Pages- The Hemp Industry Source Book. Mari
serves on the Boards of the Hemp Industries Association (HIA) and
CAlifornians for Industrial Renewal (CAIR)

Our web site has change to: http://www.hemppages.com! Email: mari@marikane.com

Get your 1999-2000 edition of Hemp Pages- The Hemp Industry Source Book!
Printed on 5 styles of hemp paper- Only $9.95 + $4 shipping in North
America, $6 elsewhere.

The last nine issues of HempWorld are on sale for as little as $2 per
issue! Shipping not included.

To order, call: 1-800-649-4421 in the US, or 707-887-7508 elsewhere. Fax
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