The 9th Annual HIA Convention
held in Washington, DC was a triple-play event.
Meeting with industry leaders
is always inspiring and motivating. Hemp Lobby
Day was interesting and intense due to the tenor
of Capitol Hill as our representatives debated
waging war on Iraq. Displaying hemp foods and
body care products at the Natural Products Expo
was great for business and public relations. Exhibitors
and buyers were excited about the HIA being there
in the Organic Marketplace.
Convention attendees gathered
and dined at "America," a restaurant
in the beautiful Union Station on Monday evening,
September 30th. Retiring Directors Cindy Biggers,
Eric Lineback, Mark Tucci and Don Wirtshafter
were honored and thanked for their years of service
to our trade group. Newly elected Directors were
announced. Steve Levine is the new HIA President;
Larry Duprey is Vice President and International
Committee Chair; John Dvorak was re-elected and
continues as Treasurer; and Lenda Hand will serve
as Secretary for another year. Chris Conrad and
David Frankel have another year of their term.
New Directors elected include David Bronner, HIA
Food & Oil Committee Chair, Shaun Crew, Erik
Rothenberg and Ruth Shamai.
Tuesday morning attendees shared
a breakfast buffet in the Phoenix Park Hotel Ballroom
and the HIA Membership Meeting began with a report
on the hemp groups that have been established
in three states — VT, AZ and NH. Future
expansion of the HIA Affiliate Program is based
on the Surf Rider Foundation model that retired
President, Cindy Biggers researched last year.
A report from the International Committee touched
on activities in Australia and New Zealand, partners
with the HIA, and Rob Jungmann continues to develop
an HIA in Japan.
The big international news is
the support the HIA will lend in the formation
of a national Canadian organization, tentatively
named the Canadian Hemp Alliance. The Canadian
government has prompted action on the long-time
dream of such a group, as they would like to see
the provincial hemp groups come together under
one umbrella. Another serious development that
will be a rallying point is the fact that the
University of Guelph is planning to close its
Thunder Bay research station this month due to
budget constraints. Gordon Scheifele, the station’s
research coordinator and crop technology advisor,
has done extensive research on hemp and most recently
has been developing a business plan to process
and market industrial hemp in Northwestern Ontario.
Our three Canadian board members will be instrumental
in organizing this new entity, with the leadership
of Arthur Hanks and others active in the industry
across Canada.
Another development this year
is the debut of two European Hemp groups, the
Association of Hemp Business in Europe (A.H.EU)
based in Germany and another in Switzerland, lead
by Marcus Kuhn. Larry Duprey visited the trade
show CannaTrade, produced by the Swiss group and
is developing ties so we can work together for
a wider global hemp network. We also had a request
for assistance in forming a hemp group in the
UK. The advantages of working together all benefit
the expansion of the hemp market.
Eric Steenstra, President of
Vote Hemp, was awarded an HIA Hemp Achievement
Award for his tireless investigations and meetings
involving the DEA and the NAFTA Challenge, and
awesome televised debates with Asa Hutchinson
and others. We also applauded him as our host
for the DC Convention and his work as the HIA
webmaster.
A Lifetime Hemp Achievement Award
was given to Don Wirtshafter of The Ohio Hempery,
a founding father of the HIA. Since his first
hemp sale in 1989, Don has dedicated his life
to hemp. Don retired from the HIA Board this year
after nine years of service as a Director. Don
will continue to be a treasured advisor for the
HIA.
Fifteen companies received their
"Five Years In Hemp" Pins this year,
which were awarded for their work and commitment
to the hemp industry since 1997: Bar Harbor Hemporium,
BioHemp Environmental Technologies, Ltd., Bioregional
Trade Group, Cannabics Earth Emporium, Cruz Expo,
DashHemp, Earth-Dance, Hemp Network, Inc., Hempsota
Inc., Hempwise, Institute for Local Self Reliance,
NZHIA - NZ Hemp Company, Santa Barbara Hemp Company,
The Galaxy Global Eatery, The Hempest Handcrafted
Soap Co. and Tribal Fiber. Congratulations!
Introductions by members are
always fascinating, as we listened to short biographies
of hemp companies and learned a little about each
person attending the convention. A list of attendees
is available from the HIA office.
The HIA Treasurer’s Report
was presented by John Dvorak. We are always looking
for new ways to raise revenues. We applied for
tax exempt status this year as a trade group (501c7),
which will allow us to apply for grants. Membership
has stayed about the same, with an equal number
of resignations and new members balancing the
total.
Steve Arbuckle won a free convention
registration for referring the most new members
to the HIA. You could be the winner next year
by just recommending your customers or vendors
join the HIA. An online application is available
here.
A review of the past year’s
activities included a report on the various fund
raising events and projects. The 2002 Hemp Calendar
was our biggest economic boon this past year,
and the new beautiful 2003 Hemp Calendar was distributed
for handing out on Hemp Lobby Day. The Calendar
is now available on the HIA Web site and from
the HIA office. The Haworth Press sent copies
of the new Journal of Industrial Hemp
for review. We are working with Haworth Press
to offer the JIH as an HIA membership benefit.
Bio Bags were a big hit with retailers and will
be offered this year again. The manufacturer has
lowered their minimums, so we will purchase in
bulk and distribute to stores. Ruth Shamai and
Larry Duprey have designed a Hemp Film Forum for
theatres across the continent. Beginning in Toronto
this month, they will show "The Emperor of
Hemp" and other videos, as well as offering
a panel discussion with hemp authorities and a
display of hemp products. This model can be reproduced
in the city of your choice.
The Hemp
Showcase has been around the country a few
times, educating people about the variety of hemp
products on the market today, and demonstrating
the different uses for hemp fiber and seed. The
next appearance will be at the premier Green Festival
in San Francisco in November. A Collector’s
Artist Series of posters printed on hemp paper
is planned. Other items to be featured in the
Merchandise section of the HIA Web site include
the great "Hemp See Dee" produced by
Robbie Anderman of Cool Hemp, featuring songs
and anecdotes of hemp history in Canada; T-shirts
and hats with the new HIA logo designed by Jeff
Sax of Dagga; two posters from SF Earth Day autographed
by Woody Harrelson, Bob Weir and Michael Franti;
and a few collectable Jim Pollock Posters.
Maintenance of the HIA Web sites
has included keeping the HIA Directory of Members
current, and validating new hemp stores. We plan
to expand the HIA main site with separate sections
on the different categories of products and education
available today: textiles, foods, body care, paper,
building materials and farming and processing.
One important need the industry has is market
analysis and the HIA intends to conduct research
to verify growth in the various sectors. Outreach
will continue with the farmers across the U.S.
You can help by joining your local farm bureaus
or organic farming groups and educate this powerful
lobby about the benefits of hemp. Coalition building
is an important part of expanding the network
for hemp.
David Bronner, the HIA Food and
Oil Chief, spoke about the TestPledge Program,
and we encourage all hemp food, oil and body care
companies to join, insuring customers they will
not test falsely positive when drug tested. The
legal actions taken this year were necessary,
time consuming, and a challenge. We thank all
donors for their contributions to our continued
battles, and are grateful for counsel Joe Sandler
and the Vote Hemp and HIA legal team, Eric Steenstra,
David Bronner, David Frankel and Don Wirtshafter.
Subsequent public relations achieved through media
articles and television air time have been phenomenal.
Thanks to Adam and Alexis at Mintwood Media Collective,
the hemp food issue was discussed in over seventy-five
publications. Making it into Time Magazine
was the "piece de la resistance." The
9th Circuit Court’s "stay" against
the proposed DEA regulations has allowed hemp
foods to stay on the shelves. There has been no
court decision made on the case, but there does
not have to be one. Other legal actions currently
include an FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request
for documents from the DEA about industrial hemp,
the Kenex NAFTA challenge, and the Alex White
Plume case. For more details about these, please
go to: http://www.votehemp.com.
A decision was made to hold the
10th Annual HIA Convention for 2003 in South Dakota
next year, to support the Lakota Sioux in their
continuous efforts to reintroduce industrial hemp
on the reservation. We plan to stay in a hotel
and make field trips to the reservation to meet
with hemp activists like Tom and Loretta Cook,
and Debra and Alex White Plume, and see the hemp
houses and hopefully a hemp field. The date will
be pushed up to August. You will hear more specifics
about this later. Please let us know if you have
any suggestions for the 2004 Convention, as we
are considering having it in Montreal or Las Vegas.
(We also need to know about other event conflicts
for scheduling.)
After a break for lunch the HIA Convention Attendees
reconvened for a Lobby Day Training Session. Eric
Steenstra, President of Vote Hemp and Alexis Baden-Meyer
handed out lobbying materials to members who would
be visiting the offices of Senators and Representatives
the next day. The Vote Hemp Report was debuted.
With great articles and ads, this 28-page magazine
was just the professional presentation needed
for lobbying Capitol Hill. 2003 HIA Hemp Calendars,
the Conrad Draft Hemp Bill, Talking Points, Health
Canada’s FAQs, the NCSL Resolution and the
Vote Hemp Position Survey were included in packages
to offer representatives when lobbying.
Thanks to the generous donations of hemp products
from the following members, we raised funds with
an HIA Silent Auction. This took the place of
the infamous raffle, and I must say it was a lot
less work to distribute all the wonderful goodies
we all expect to see and win at the HIA Conventions.
Thanks to all those who contributed:
Aptech – Urban hemp bag,
People’s hemp twine; Chic Eco – Custom
shirt gift certificate, Chic Eco directory; Crucial
Hemp - Jacket, Jack Herer - Boxer shorts, shirt,
T-shirt, bag and mini hemp bedding; Hemptown Clothing
– T-shirt; Humboldt Hemp Foods – Two
packages of Sumativa hemp coffee; Magellan –
Hemp wall hanging game; Mikki Norris – Human
rights book; Ruth’s Hemp Foods – Chips
and salad dressing; Santa Barbara Hemp Co. –
Two hats; Sun Dog – Gift basket with soap,
lip balm, lotion, shampoo and conditioner; Swirlspace
– Two bra top t-shirts; The Hemp Club –
One free admission to the Calyx Festival; U.S.
Hemp Flag – Betsy Ross hemp flag.
On Hemp Lobby Day, October 2,
2002, we discussed two main issues. Congress needs
to differentiate hemp from marijuana (again) and
the regulation of industrial hemp cultivation
needs to be shifted back to the USDA. Most meetings
scheduled were with Agriculture Staffers, as the
Iraq war issue was overwhelmingly the topic of
the day. Twelve of us from California did have
a photo opportunity with Senator Barbara Boxer.
We will have that photo available for those interested.
Eric Steenstra will have a full report on the
proceedings and results of Hemp Lobby Day. We
met with staffers of Senators and Representatives
from ten states. Thanks to all for your educational
efforts and donations of products distributed
showing the uses of industrial hemp. We plan to
follow up on local state levels and schedule more
lobby days on Capitol Hill this next year. Meeting
afterwards in the swinging multi-cultural district
of Adams Morgan, we all had dinner at an Ethiopian
restaurant called Meskerem. We sat on hassocks
and shared wonderful exotic spiced foods from
platters served with an unusual crepe-like sponge
bread made from the grain Tef.
For some that was the end of
the Convention. However, for many of us we shifted
gears to set up for the Natural Products Expo
at the DC Convention Center. Thanks to David Bronner,
the HIA had a booth in the Organic Marketplace
and featured hemp foods and hemp body care products
from ten different companies. Sue Kastensen of
Sun Dog was the coordinator extraordinaire, and
participants shared the job of manning the booth
and handing out 1500 Vote Hemp Reports. Since
all the exhibitors had ads in it, it was a perfect
way to share the spotlight, and it was a very
popular booth!
Friday night many of us attended
a party at NPR headquarters hosted by the Co-op
America Business Network. Chris O’Brien,
their Managing Director, is an icon of industrious
activity and shared his vision of working together
with the hemp industry. Some of our Directors
will be attending their Green Business Conference,
February 6-9, 2003. We see opportunities for cross-industry
strategic planning, building B2B between industries,
and agreeing on what we can all do together around
issues that affect the entire green business movement.
Another treat for us was the
sightseeing. The National Art Gallery, the Smithsonian,
The Jefferson Memorial, etc. were all wonderful
additions to our visit. Thanks to all who attended
and the Convention Committee, especially Eric
Steenstra, for hosting the 9th Annual HIA Convention
in Washington, DC.
Respectfully recorded and
submitted by Candi Penn, HIA Executive Director,
on 10/15/2002.
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