The DEA is cracking down on hempseed oil in tortilla chips

Post-Gazette ^ | December 09, 2001 | Ann McFeatters

[Pay now bill Clinton]

WASHINGTON - And now, for something completely different, to borrow a phrase from Monty Python.

The three earnest young men burdened with plastic bags came to the office bearing food. Pretzels with seeds. A snack bar. An energy bar. Tortilla chips.

[NC Conservative]

You can get high and curb the munchies all in one sitting.

[Dakmar]

Dang, wish I'd thought of that :-)

[Benson_Carter]

Sounds like the Marijuana Stamp Act aka the alcoholic beverage, pharmacutical, wood pulp, and cotton industries.

we will never learn from history, it seems.

[JSteff]

What an idiotic, wasted effort on the part of the governemnt. Hemp seed oil is the PERFECT balance of essential fatty acids for humans which is critical for life. Over 75 percent of the fatty acid in hemp oil are polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA's). A high percentage of these PUFA's are the Omega 6 fatty acids.. great Addtionally Hemp seed is primarily composed of 65% Edestin protein, a highly stable and classified as a globulin type of protein. The amino acids found here are said to be far superior to levels found in soy protein isolate, and it does not have the soy negatives such as affecting hormone levels in women.

Additionally, (though it is all technical), only certain types of hemp actually have the required ingrediants that will allow the THC to have a "high' in humans. On top of that there is a way that the hemp can be, and is ussually "sterilized" to remove the THC thereby allowing any hempseed product to have a drug effect. I understand most hempseed oil used in foods has this process done.

Even if not sterilized I have read you would need to ingest over a very short period of time about a 50 gallon drum of chips using hempseed oil to get any sort of "buzz".... and at that it would be barely noticeable. No squinty eyes, no craving for junk food, no desire to watch all 8 or so hours of Monty Python episodes, no ability to see the wisdom or better appreciate the messages Pink Flyods Dark Side of the Moon

To top all this off, hempseed oil, as mentioned above, is the perfect balance of essential fatty acids and would be much better to use as a cooking oil (and has a better flavor I am told) for virtually everyone. I would love to see the reasoning and forces behind this crack down. Show me the money as they say.

You see, hemp is a weed and will grow just about anywhere, requires no special care to grow relatively well, and is super hardy. In other words a reason for big business like the agriculture support industries to hate the plant. Tough to make a buck selling farmers stuff the don't need like special fertilizers, insecticides, soil preparations.

Here are some links which include much more info and are very interesting reading.
Hempnut.com
A more scientific site.

Do a web search for hempseed, hempnut, or hemp oil 'cause there is interesting info out there.

[Benson_Carter]

great post. as I say, the government defies all basis of Constitutional government, Free Market Economics, and Common Sense.

[steve-b]

Personally I don't see the appeal of ingesting something that makes me goofy

Evidently that's a requirement for getting a policy job with the DEA.

[mvpel]

It's pretty obvious why they're doing this - the drug forfeture laws, the bigger budget they'll be able to whine for to go after tortilla chip and shampoo manufacturers, the extra staff that will increase the size of the organization under the person approving the rules, leading to a salary increase and more authority, etc, etc, etc. Follow the money. It all makes sense when you look at it from the proper perspective.

[Benson_Carter]

sad, isn't it?

[spycatcher]

Stuff like this is the sign of a sick society. Reminds me of British bureaucrats who drive around like the Taliban trying to find clandestine TV watchers to fine.

[lds23]

So first they put sodium in Coca-Cola, so you get thirsty as you drink, now they put hempseed oil in Doritos so you get the munchies while you munch. Brilliant, if you ask me.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Makers of foods with hempseeds or oil, with $5 million in annual sales, argue that the amount of THC is so infinitesimal that inhumanly high consumption of them would be required to get high. They liken it to getting a buzz from eating the opiate-containing poppy seeds on bagels or the alcohol in orange juice.

I bet those will be next.

[capt. norm]

"\"The DEA is cracking down on hempseed oil in tortilla chips "

That must be because they have royally failed at everything else.

How long have they been fighting that "war" and have continued to lose?

Lacking the ability to stop the smugglers, etc. they now have to invade the world of couch-potato snacks...sooner or later they are going to find a fight they can win, even if it means having to go after the people who remove those "do not remove" tags from furniture. The DEA is such a joke!

[bukkdems]

Last year, the entire crop of sterilized Canadian hemp seed, destined for American birdseed manufacturers, was seized by the DEA. Were stoned birds heard chirping reggae?

Visit YaleLawDebate to watch the November 15 Yale Law School debate between DEA chief administrator Asa Hutchinson and New Mexico governor Gary Johnson in Real Video.

[strela]

Quick, get rid of your tortilla chips you druggie!

What am I going to do with all this salsa then?

[getsoutalive]

No, this is because the miniscule amounts of THC in these products may give false positive readings on drug tests. Which would also invalidate the results of anyone that can prove they bought such.

[Phantom Lord]

What am I going to do with all this salsa then?

Donate it to the Libertarian party?

[Black Cat]

In order to get a good joint buzz, you would have to smoke about 1/4 of an acre of hemp.

No kidding. Back in my misspent youth, certain lowlife types would sell bags of Indiana Ditch Weed, which is nothing more than wild hemp, to naive teenieboppers. May as well have smoked a rope... :)

[TightSqueeze]

But I hate seeing tax dollars going down the 'war on drugs' rat-hole.

The problem is what to do with all the currently employed Neanderthal jack-booted thugs working in the drug enforcement business, without the WOD these folks would probably be unemployable. Our tax dollars have produced a fine income for a class of people who left on their own would have most likely ended up in jail.