The Hemp Report

Program To Be Transferred From DEA To OJP

     Earlier this evening one of my new alert pages open automatically in my browser window with the Haleakala Times story "DEA spends big $$$ to eradicate feral hemp." This is not news for regular readers of The Hemp Report. We covered this over two years ago in our story on "Wild Marijuana."

     Not one to leave well enough alone I went and did some Google searches on key phrases in the Haleakala Times story and discovered some really interesting documents on the U.S. Department of Justice web site. In a pair of PDF documents FY 2006 Budget and Performance Summary and 2006 Budget and Performance Summary as well as an Excel spreadsheet Component Summary Worksheets there was the text:

4. Cannabis Eradication Program
To halt the spread of marijuana cultivation in the United States, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) initiated the Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program (DCE/SP), which is the only nationwide law enforcement program that exclusively targets marijuana. The Controlled Substance Act of 1970 authorizes the Attorney General to "conduct programs of eradication aimed at destroying wild or illicit growth of plant species from which controlled substances may be extracted." In response to this directive, the DCE/SP was established in 1979. Initially, the DCE/SP consisted of two statewide multi-agency marijuana eradication operations, in Hawaii and California. As the stature of the program grew, additional states began to participate, and by 1985 state and local agencies from all 50 states were participating in the DCE/SP. This program is being transferred from DEA ($11,600,000 from base funds) to OJP in FY 2006 and expanded, and will be renamed the Cannabis Eradication Discretionary Grant Program (CEGP).

     So, there it is DEA is going to loose DCE/SP and it's going to be transferred to OJP, the U.S. Department of Justice - Office of Justice Programs. Of course, the program is going to be expanded.

Thursday, November 8-9, 2006 at the Ramada Plaza Hotel - Market & 8th St. in San Francisco.

Registration, Set Up, Reception & Awards Dinner: Wednesday, November 8th

Meeting & Fundraiser: Thursday, Nov. 9th

Hemp Exhibits, Sales, Networking and Expert Speakers: Textiles, Foods, Personal Care, Paper, Composites, Legal/Legislation

Click here for detailed information on the HIA web site.

Registration Fee: $200 per person
$150 for additional employee, friend or family member. Send U.S. check or money order with Registration Form to the HIA Office.

Online Secure payment by credit card: here

Ramada Plaza Room Reservations: (415) 626-8000
Group Rate for HIA / Green Business Conference: $99 per night. Parking - $25 per day, with in and out privileges.

Bring DONATIONS for the Fundraiser!

You can send product donations to the HIA Office, or send them to the Ramada Plaza at:

Ramada Plaza Downtown
c/o Guest: HIA
1231 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94103

FREE Exhibit Space for Attendees - Please sign up. Tables will be provided.

Green Festival: Stay for the weekend!

HIA, Vote Hemp, and many hemp companies will be exhibiting Friday, Saturday and Sunday, November 10th - 12th

Download Official Test Results (PDF file 80K)

Tests confirm hemp seeds to be "gluten free"

Gluten is a plant protein found in cereals, particularly in wheat. Wheat flour typically contains some 100,000 mg/kg, or parts per million (ppm) of gluten. Gluten is an allergen and affects people suffering from Celiac Sprue Disease. As for other oil seeds, the protein of hemp seeds does not contain this cereal protein - it is "gluten free". However, some consumers of hemp food have recently asked for confirmation because a note (see below) on the web site of the Celiac Sprue Association suggested that traces of gluten had been found in hemp flour.

hemp (Industrial) No research on the dietary use of hemp for a celiac diet is on file in the CSA office. Should be gluten-free but sample of hemp flour tested ELISA 15 ppm gliadin [corresponds to 30 ppm of gluten] in 2001.

To confirm the absence of gluten in hemp seed products, two samples of hemp nut and one hemp protein, all produced in Canada, were tested for gluten as part of the Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance's hemp foods characterization project. In all 3 samples, testing by ELISA assay did not find gluten at the limit of detection of 10 milligram per kilogram (parts per million) (AOAC Method 991.19).

The World Health Organization defines food stuffs that do not contain specific cereals (wheat and all Triticum species) as "Gluten-Free" if they contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten. These test results confirm that hemp seeds, nuts and protein powder are in fact "gluten free".

The mentioned report on the Celiac Sprue Associations' web site of gluten traces found in hemp flour can be attributed to contamination of hemp products during processing on equipment that had previously handled cereals.

Gero Leson, D.Env.
Principal
Leson and Associates
Berkeley, CA 94709