Posted January 31, 2000
(MarijuanaNews note: Damaging hemp Canadian production seems to be
the only purpose for the new – old – policy. The Western Producer carried an
excellent article on this subject last year.)

See
DEAland
Attack On Canadian Hemp Industry
Draws Sympathetic Coverage In Agricultural Press

January 27, 2000
From The Western Producer
newsroom@producer.com
http://www.producer.com/
By Roberta Rampton, Winnipeg bureau

AMERICAN POLICY HAZE CONFOUNDS HEMP SHIPPER

Jean Laprise declared it a “win” for the Canadian hemp industry when hemp seed
shipments to the United States resumed in November.
See

face=”ARIAL,HELVETICA,SANS-SERIF” size=”2″>Customs Announcement On Hemp Imports:
It Would now Be Legal To Import Bulk Canadian Hemp Into DEAland.

So he was shocked to find hemp exports are again under a microscope.

“I couldn’t believe the U.S. government could be so irrational
and change their mind so quickly,” said Laprise, a farmer and president of Kenex
Ltd., a processor in Chatham, Ont.

On Dec. 30, the Office of the National Drug Control Policy instructed U.S. customs
officials to start seizing hemp seed and products that contain any amount of
tetrahydrocannabinol. THC is the psychoactive ingredient that produces the euphoric
feeling in hemp’s illicit cousin, marijuana. Industrial hemp contains only minute levels
of THC.

Kenex spent considerable time and money last fall fighting a U.S. custom
seizure of hemp birdseed.

When the three-month-long trade argument was resolved in late November, hemp seed
processors thought exports would go back to normal.

But the peace was short-lived.

Now, U.S. drug czar Barry McCaffrey and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will
review hemp imports to make sure they’re in line with the U.S. war against drugs. The
Canadian government is monitoring the situation.

Since January, Kenex has made small shipments of hemp products with undetectable levels of
THC.

But Laprise is waiting to find out how the U.S. government plans to test THC levels, and
what its tolerance levels will be. If it decides to test in parts per billion, the
industry would be in trouble, said Laprise.

“I think there should be a very cautious approach to production
unless there are firm markets for all goods,” said a weary-sounding Laprise.

If trade grinds to a halt, the government should consider a trade
challenge, or the industry should consider a legal challenge, said Laprise.

But he and his business partners, after enduring months of business interruption last
fall, and extensive legal bills, are doing some “soul searching” to determine
whether more legal action is worth the effort.

Industrial Versus Narcotic

Geof Kime of Hempline, which produces hemp fibre products in southern Ontario, said his
shipping schedule has not been affected.

Hemp fibre does not contain THC, said Kime. But his company has been hurt by negative
publicity linking industrial hemp to its narcotic relative.

Kime said misleading media headlines have prompted questions from potential customers
about the legality of shipping hemp fabric and carpet across the border.

Greg Herriot, whose company Hempola buys hemp from Manitoba farmers, said his company’s
blended oils, salad dressings and cosmetics contain non-detectable levels of THC, and
haven’t been affected by the U.S. action.

But Hempola is sponsoring a study in Berkeley, Calif., that will measure whether THC from
its products show up in urine analysis tests, the random employee checks done by many U.S.
companies. Herriot suspects the products will come up clean.

In September, his partner Kelly Smith took a drug test after eating
up to two tablespoons of Hempola oil per day, washing with hemp soap daily, and using
other hemp cosmetic products for three years.

She tested negative.

Copyright: 2000 The Western Producer

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