Court Rules Hemp Products Not Drug Related
Associated Press
2/7/04
|
Rejecting one front of the government's drug war, a federal appeals court has ruled the United States cannot ban the sale of food made with natural hemp that contains only trace amounts of the psychoactive chemical in marijuana.
Friday's decision overturns the Drug Enforcement Administration's ban on the domestic sale of hemp food products. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (news - web sites) had suspended the prohibition so judges could hear a challenge from the hemp industry, which has been allowed to sell its products while awaiting the court's decision.
On Friday, the court said that though the DEA has regulatory authority over marijuana and synthetically derived tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the agency did not follow the law in asserting authority over hemp food products as well.
``They cannot regulate naturally occurring THC not contained within or derived from marijuana,'' the court ruled, noting it's not possible to get high from products with only trace amounts of the mind-altering chemical.
The Hemp Industries Association, which represents more than 200 companies, had challenged the legality of the ban and applauded Friday's decision.
For more Bay Area news and information, visit kpix.com and www.kcbs.com.
|
|
