Also online at the HIA:
 
http://www.thehia.org/PR/10-19-08_hemp_lahde.html
 
and Vote Hemp:
 
http://www.votehemp.com/PR/10-19-08_hia_hemp_lahde.html
 
Thanks,
 
Tom
 
 
From:
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/10-19-2008/0004906877&EDATE=
 
Hemp Advocates to Andrew Lahde: 'Can You Spare a Million to Make Your 
Vision Reality?'
 
Hemp Food and Body Care Sales Stronger than Ever in 2008
 
U.S. Farmers Suing DEA to Grow Hemp are Back in Court November 12
 
BOSTON, Oct. 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Hemp Industries 
Association (HIA), a trade association made up of hundreds of hemp 
businesses meeting in Boston today, is appealing to millionaire 
retired hedge fund manager Andrew Lahde to use a portion of his 
recent windfall made betting against sub-prime mortgage-backed 
securities to help bring back hemp farming in the United States. Mr. 
Lahde garnered media attention for stating in a resignation letter 
that hemp is needed as an alternative food and energy source and 
should be grown again in the U.S.
 
"Mr. Lahde's perspective is right on the money," says HIA out-going 
President David Bronner. Retail sales of hemp food and body care 
products in the United States have continued to set record sales over 
the past twelve months, according to new data released by the HIA. 
The strong sales of popular hemp items like non-dairy milk, shelled 
hemp seed, soaps and lotions have occurred against the backdrop of 
state-licensed hemp farmers in North Dakota fighting a high stakes 
legal battle against DEA to grow hemp for U.S. manufacturers. The new 
sales data validates U.S. farmers' position that they are being left 
out of the lucrative hemp market that Canadian farmers have cashed in 
on for eleven years.
 
The sales data, collected by the market research firm SPINS, was 
obtained from natural food retailers only, excluding Whole Foods 
Market and mass-market food and pharmacy stores, and thus 
under-represents actual sales by a factor of two to three. The new 
report shows that hemp grocery sales grew in the sampled stores by 
65% over the previous year (from August 2007 to August 2008), or by 
$2.4 million, to a total of $6.12 million. Based on the 
representative growth of this sample, the HIA Food and Oil Committee 
now estimates that the total retail value of hemp foods sold over the 
past 12 months in North America grew from $20 million last year to 
approximately $33 million this year. In addition, the SPINS data show 
that sales of hemp body care products grew 10% over the past 12 
months in the sampled stores to $12.24 million. Due to the large hemp 
body care line sold by The Body Shop, as well as the fact that many 
unreported leading mass-market brands of sun tan lotion and sunscreen 
products include hemp oil, the HIA estimates the total retail value 
of North American hemp body care sales to be at least $80 million.
 
"Farmers who want to grow hemp to support the steady double-digit 
growth are mad as ever about being shut out by our backward federal 
government," says Mr. Bronner, who makes Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps 
and uses hemp oil in all his top-selling products. "The HIA is 
confident that the total North American hemp food and body care 
market over the last 12 months accounted for at least $100 million in 
retail sales," adds Mr. Bronner.
 
Over the last three years, hemp food sales have averaged 47% annual 
growth, making hemp one of the fastest-growing natural food 
categories. "Last fall we expected the double-digit growth of the 
hemp food sector to continue in 2008, as the excitement about hemp 
milk had led to more brands in the market," comments Eric Steenstra, 
HIA Executive Director. "We project that growth in the markets for 
hemp food and body care will keep pace into 2009," says Steenstra.
 
CORRECTION: In Mr. Lahde's letter, he said that; "Hemp is the 'male 
plant' [metaphorically speaking, hemp is, like the male Cannabis 
plant, useless as a drug] and it grows like a weed, hence the slang 
term." This is not quite correct, however, as hemp is both female and 
male, but is distinct from the drug varieties of Cannabis because it 
contains virtually no THC, the chemical that generates a high.
 
http://www.thehia.org
 
 
 
SOURCE Hemp Industries Association
 
Related links:
 http://www.thehia.org
 
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Business Media company.