|
Newsbrief:
Feds
Seize
Hemp
Promotional
Vehicle
at
US-Canada
Border
8/28/03
Hemphry, a 1971 Volkswagen
van used as a promotional vehicle by the Canadian hemp firm Pure Hemp,
is currently being detained by Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement
(BICE, formerly US Customs) in Maine. Hemphry, which sports a hemp
field motif and "Pure Hemp" license plates, was impounded earlier this
month after driver Johannes Chapman attempted to cross the border while
carrying eight pounds of roasted, seasoned hemp seed. Hemp seed is
legal in the United States, but Hemphry was seized and Chapman faces marijuana
importation charges.
"I purchased three kilos
of toasted and salted hempseeds in Montreal" said Chapman. "The owner
advised me not to bring hemp seeds over the border, reminding me of America's
'zero tolerance,'" and I said 'hemp seeds are not banned in America.'"
Although the US 9th Circuit
Court of Appeals threw out the DEA's October 2001 interpretive rule banning
hemp-based foods on June 30, that word apparently hasn't filtered down
to line officers. US Customs agents field tested Chapman's hemp seeds
and said they found traces of THC, a claim Natural Emphasis, Ltd. owner
David Marcus, exclusive distributor of Pure Hemp rolling papers in North
America, found hard to swallow. "The validity of this field test
is questionable to say the least," he said in a press release. "An
official THC test of the seed in question has been obtained from a Canadian
lab accredited by Health Canada showing that the seed contains no THC."
Furthermore, the field test indicated that both the Pure Hemp cigarette
papers and hemp twine in the van's cargo also contained THC, yet both are
made from the stalk fibers of the hemp plant which don't contain THC."
Hemphry remains in custody
pending further tests of the hemp seeds. Chapman was turned back
from the United States, but has been invited back to face the marijuana
importation charges September 9.
-- END --
|
Issue #300, 8/28/03
Editorial:
One Less Prisoner in America
|
Cheryl Miller
Memorial Project Coming to Washington, DC This September 22-23
|
David
Borden's Open Letter to DC's Chief Judge on Refusing to Appear for Jury
Service
|
August is
Drug Reform Lobbying Month at Home!
|
DRCNet/StoptheDrugWar.org
Buttons and Stickers for Free or Cheap
|
Perry Fund
Accepting Applications for 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 School Years, Providing
Scholarships for Students Losing Aid Because of Drug Convictions
|
Newsbrief:
Kentucky's Galbraith Enters Attorney General Contest, Downplays Marijuana
|
Newsbrief:
Supreme Court Justice Says Prison Terms "Too Long," Calls for End to Mandatory
Minimums
|
Newsbrief:
This Week's Corrupt Cops Story
|
Newsbrief:
Drug War, Chinese Style
|
Newsbrief:
Colorado Appeals Court Upholds Fake Drug Checkpoints
|
Newsbrief:
Fake Drug Checkpoints Cause Uproar in Indiana
|
Newsbrief:
Feds Seize Hemp Promotional Vehicle at US-Canada Border
|
The Reformer's
Calendar
|
This issue -- main page
This issue -- single-file printer version
Drug War Chronicle -- main page
Chronicle archives
|
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