In 1993 Debby Moore, founder of Kansas environmentalists for Commerce in Hemp, contracted with American Telephone & Telegraph to obtain an 800 telephone number.

When Debby arranged with ATT for the service, she was hoping to get a number that actually spelled “hemp”. Debby recalls placing the number, the service representative commented that this number should bring you a lot of calls, it is easy to remember.

About two weeks later, for better than six months, the telephone at the Hemp Education Center rang literally every minute of every hour, twenty four hours a day.

Not because the world wanted to know about “hemp”, but because ATT published the number as the contact for their rehire program world wide.

Monday March 8, 1993 - Wichita Eagle Beacon - Bob Getz -

“Hello? Hello? Who’s this? Dial-a-WHAT? Reassuring proof that the world’s still weird . . . is AT&T going to pot? Some people must think so. Hundreds and hundreds of people across the nation had to have been shocked when, after dialing a special AT&T “rehire system” 800-number, the person who answered started laying a pro-marijuana spiel on them.

Nope, AT&T hasn’t installed its own Dial-a-Head-Shop, or Dial-a-Dope-Dealer number. Not yet, anyway. But almost.

Due to a printing error in an AT&T “mailer”, in which the number (800) 554-4367 came out (800) 544-4367, callers found themselves dialing a Wichita number also listed in some place as (800) 544-HEMP.

Debby Moore loves the mix-up. Sort of.

Moore, a local activist for the legalization of pot and the proprietor of a hemp shop that sells clothing, jewels, and other accessories made from hemp has been receiving at least 100 phone calls a day on her 800-number from people trying to reach the AT&T number.

When the calls come in, as they almost constantly do, Moore doesn’t simply answer and say wrong number.”

Instead, she told me, “Before I tell them the correct number, I give them a little pro-marijuana message.”

How do people react?

“Some laugh and say, ‘I support you,’” More said. “And nobody’s really got upset. I’d say at least 25 percent want to have a conversation about it.”

Trying to reach a real, live person on the phone at AT&T proved to be a trying task, especially when I was given a number when you reach one of those drafted “Dial 1 if you’re calling because you don’t like the color of your phone” systems. But finally, after an afternoon of being referred all around the country, I got a hold of Ned Maniscalco, a most agreeable regional AT &T public relations person.

After he checked into the mix-up Thursday, he got back to me, saying the company has been aware of the mix-up since Monday, but really can’t do much about it at this point except be prepared to give callers the correct number whenever they get the chance.

Moore, who said she gets the AT&T calls from early morning well into the evening laughed.

“Even though I make fun of the mistake,: she said, “honestly, this is a big hassle, and it’s driving me crazy.”

Poor woman. If only she had a way of mellowing out.