Can you imagine a most hospitable and atmospheric place where all is made
from hemp ?
What is so healthy about hemp foods? Hemp
for Health and Healing:
For Immediate Release
August 1, 2000
Hemp foods and workplace drug testing not in conflict, new study finds
For more information contact John W. Roulac: 707-823-2800, Extension 201
Persons who frequently consume food items containing hemp seeds and oil are
very unlikely to fail a workplace urine test for marijuana. This is the main
finding of a recent toxicological study commissioned by the Agricultural
Research and Development Initiative (ARDI), a program funded by the Canadian
federal and the Manitoba provincial governments; the North American Industrial
Hemp Council (NAIHC), and several manufacturers of hemp foods among which
HempWorld, Inc.
The study was motivated by past reports of positive drug tests caused by hemp
oil and snacks from seeds with relatively high levels of
Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Traces of this main psychoactive ingredient
of marijuana are present in industrial hemp plants, grown for fiber and seeds.
Regulations in Canada, the main supplier of hemp seeds to the U.S., limit THC
levels in hemp seed products to 10 parts per million (ppm). While there is
currently no standard in the U.S., the federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)
cites potential interference with drug testing as their main objection to the
importation and sale of hemp foods.
The study monitored concentrations of THC metabolites in the urine of 15
volunteers who ate, over four consecutive ten-day-periods, one tablespoon per
day of a hemp/canola oil blend. Corresponding THC doses increased stepwise from
0.09 to 0.45 milligrams (mg) per day, much below the 10 mg threshold for
psychoactivity. Daily intake of 0.45 mg of THC translates into eating daily 6
tablespoons of hemp oil or a half a pound of hulled hemp seeds of commercial
quality. Even hemp food connoisseurs rarely consume such quantities.
At this dose, no volunteer exceeded, during the initial urine screening test,
the 50 parts per billion (ppb) cutoff applied by federal and most private
employers to detect marijuana use. THC doses as low as 0.2 mg/day caused several
exceedances of the lower, more stringent 20 ppb cutoff used by few employers and
law enforcement agencies. Yet, "confirmation testing" of these samples
by the more specific GC/MS (gas-chromatography / mass spectrometry) method
always found THC metabolite levels much below the 10 ppb cutoff (for GC/MS).
Above this cutoff, some drug testing programs consider a sample "confirmed
positive" for marijuana. One of three volunteers consuming up to 0.6 mg/day
of THC screened positive at the 50 ppb level but was not confirmed positive by
GC/MS.
The study was coordinated by Leson Environmental Consulting, Berkeley, CA. A
scientific advisory board of internationally acknowledged experts in
pharmacology and toxicology reviewed study design and results. Says Gero Leson,
the study's principal investigator: "Our results demonstrate that even
people who frequently consume hemp foods of the quality now found in stores will
not fail urine tests for marijuana - as long as:
· Hemp seed processors continue to adhere to thorough seed cleaning methods.
These now generally keep THC levels in hemp oil and hulled seeds below 5 and 2
ppm, respectively; and
· Employers and administrators of drug testing programs follow established
federal guidelines for urine testing, requiring that urine samples, which fail
the screening test, must be confirmed by GC/MS.
The study results are being submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed
journal. For a summary, visit www.naihc.org.
About NAIHC: The North American Industrial Hemp Council is a 501 (c)(3)
organization comprised of industrial, agricultural, governmental and
environmental interests who seek the recommercialization of industrial hemp.
Contact the NAIHC at: 608-224-5135.
Hemp Oil On Sale Here Now!
(click on the image below)
