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In VH/HIA's recent lawsuit against the DEA, VH/HIA sued to actually stop DEA's legalization of hemp imports not for human consumption, or about 95% of all hemp imports. They spent $200,000 to sue on three issues: 1) natural THC on hemp products is not illegal; 2) a science-based THC level was requested; and 3) that DEA was not interpreting existing law, but rather was making new law. They lost on all three, but put a positive "spin" on the ruling anyway, then started asking for donations for their "victory." On 6 February, 2004, the Ninth Circuit (long known as the most liberal and most over-turned federal court in the country) ruled that the DEA had no jurisdiction over hempseed foods. Even DEA said as much: "[Hemp foods] need not be exempted from control under this interim rule, since they are, by definition, non-controlled." Rarely do DEA and I agree on anything, but this is exactly what I told Vote Hemp/HIA when they first talked about suing DEA, an exercise full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. And it's the same message I've argued for years: properly made hempseed foods contain no THC (as defined by US Customs testing methods), and thus are exempt from DEA regulations, no different than any other non-THC-containing product such as tires or corn or wood. As the largest importer and marketer of hemp foods at the time, and the one with the most to lose, here's what I originally said about the DEA Rule: "By clarifying what is necessary to achieve DEA-exempt legal status for hemp as food, DEA has removed a significant legal barrier for importers. It is expected that this clarification will ease the confusion for all parties involved in importing hempseed." Click here to see proof. In pioneering the Hemp Foods movement the last ten years (and doing the same with soy and vegan foods for 24 years), acceptance really is one bite at a time. People realize how good hemp is to them as well as for them. And now we know it will also be one ruling at a time. With almost 4 years from DEA proposal to Ninth Circuit ruling, we still have a very long way to go. Acceptance by FDA, US Customs, USDA, a variety of departments at the state and local level, the press which loves hemp's wink-wink, nudge-nudge story, people subject to drug testing, the military and law enforcement who banned hemp foods because of drug testing, consumers who are concerned about food quality and safety, product liability insurers, contract packagers handling the product, and finally the notoriously conservative food distribution and retail industry. But HempNut, Inc. is living proof that a Best Practices company, a professional food firm with a "zero-THC" Quality Standard, free from DEA control, is actually possible and in fact is preferable to killing off the industry in order to play "gotcha" with the DEA just to generate donations for Vote Hemp. While our competitors are now finally agreeing that their hempseed foods can be made to be "zero THC," being an existing professional food company we recognized the critical importance of this issue for the future of hempseed foods not just recently, but way back in 1994. Click to here to see proof of our zero-THC statement in October, 1994.And click here to see that the leading hempseed experts all say the same thing: "Hempseed can be cleaned free of THC."
Using the square peg of science on the round hole of politics costs much in legal fees, and is rarely anything but a failure as this latest publicity stunt proves. The continued restrictive scheduling of Cannabis in the US is but the most glaring example: if science could actually rule politics, marijuana and vaporizers would have been available in every liquor store in the land years ago. But instead doctors and the sick and dying are locked up like criminals by the same cynicism that makes untrained street police replace physicians when it comes to medicine, and calls it science. Advocacy science is the bending of science to meet the goals of the advocate, and both are a little less for it. The Cannabis plant doesn't need, nor deserve, this kind of approach. It can hardly be considered a victory for a plant that deserves so much more, and needs so much less.
Regardless of what the government does, if the wholesale and retail trade refuses to be subjected to the hazards of selling hemp foods in a litigious society with Billion-dollar stakes, not to mention the person's career and future. Game over, DEA won. For example, of all the tens of thousands of products it stocks, one national natural foods chain requires the following only of hemp companies, and it is similar to what is required from other retail chains and distributors, FYI, HempNut, Inc. was the first hemp food company able to meet these requirements and be an approved vendor with approved products, but this protocol shows how serious our trade customers take the issue:
Consumable Hemp Product Protocol As you know, the U.S Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has recently issued a clarification of current law that limits and in some cases prohibits the sale of products containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), if these products are intended for consumption by humans. [Name of Chain] requires your cooperation to determine whether your products meet the DEA's requirements.
FAILURE TO RESPOND TO THIS REQUEST WILL AUTOMATICALLY RESULT IN YOUR PRODUCTS BEING REMOVED FROM ALL [Name of Chain] STORES AND YOUR PRODUCTS BEING REMOVED FROM OUR APPROVED PURCHASE LIST.
This protocol applies only to hemp products intended to be eaten by humans (i.e. items for topical application or that are worn are not included). Your company must respond to this protocol by January 15th or [Name of Chain] will remove your products from our stores on February 1st and notify you that you are no longer approved as a vendor to [Name of Chain]. If [Name of Chain] must take this action, [Name of Chain] will also bill your company for the product removed and labor incurred, and deduct any such amounts from amounts due to your company.
If your product contains any edible hemp product or derivative (i.e. oil or seed), you must provide the following:
1. Documentation that your product has been tested and certified that THC is not detectable. This certification must be issued by a laboratory which is in compliance with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations with respect to the use of Schedule 1 controlled substances for analytical testing, including the Controlled Substances Act and the regulations of United States Drug Enforcement Administration. If your product has been tested by a laboratory in Canada, the "not detectable" certification must be issued by a laboratory which is in compliance with the laws, regulations, and requirements of Health Canada, including those provided in Industrial Hemp Technical Manual, which is issued by Health Canada. You must also enclose documentation which establishes the laboratory's compliance with Health Canada's legal requirements for analytical testing of industrial hemp.
2. A signed affidavit, in the form of Exhibit A attached to this policy, guaranteeing that each batch of finished product will be certified as meeting the "none detectable" standard as described above.
3. A written indemnity, in the form attached as Exhibit B to this policy, that you will hold harmless and defend [Name of Chain]. from any loss, cost, liability or expense resulting from any inaccurate or false certifications or violation of this policy and that [Name of Chain] will be reimbursed by the manufacturer for all related expenses.
4. No product containing detectable levels of THC shall be shipped to [Name of Chain] or any of its distributors or retail locations after January 5th, 2002.
Vote Hemp/HIA issued a press release with many happy quotes, including some from companies not actually affected by the DEA's Proposed Rule. But what counts most is what Whole Foods, Wild Oats, Vitamin Cottage, Kroger, Trader Joe's, and Safeway say about the ruling.
However it all shakes out, one thing is for certain: If there is no market for hemp foods, then there is no market for hemp grown in America. No market for hemp grown in America, then no legalization of low-THC industrial hemp is needed in America, and the law stays unchanged. It matters not what the laws of DEA are, the laws that matter most in this scenario are the laws of economics. "What Is the Legal Status of "Hemp'' Products That Contain No THC? Any portion of the cannabis plant, or any product made therefrom, or any product that is marketed as a 'hemp' product, that is both excluded from the definition of marijuana and contains no THC (nor any other controlled substance) is not a controlled substance. Accordingly, such substances need not be exempted from control under this interim rule, since they are, by definition, non-controlled." Text by Richard Rose, his opinion and only his opinion. If you don't like it go out and get one of your own!
The HempNut Story | HempNut Nutrition | Product Info | Import Considerations | Our Founder
Copyright 1999-2004 HempNut, Inc. All rights reserved. "HempNut" is a trademark of HempNut, Inc. and is a registered trademark in California, New York and
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