Arrested for Hemp Protein Powder!

On Wednesday morning July 16th, Anna Korakaki went to her local post
office in Athens, Greece to pick up her latest health product order
from Navitas Naturals, a health food company based in the USA. Anna
had previously received shipments from Navitas which included raw
cacao from Ecuador, maca from Peru, goji berries from Tibet, and other
high-quality nutritious foods. Moments after accepting her package
Anna was immediately intercepted by 4 police officers, thrown on the
hood of a police car and brutally handcuffed. Police then ransacked
her apartment and after finding nothing suspicious or illegal, took
Anna to a police station for further interrogation. Anna was then
forced to spend the night in an Athens jail cell. The reason for Anna
Korakaki’s arrest was that she had received 4.5 kilos of hemp protein
(a ’super-food’ made from powdered hemp seeds). which she had ordered
for the express purpose of making healthy smoothies. The order had a
value of 57 Euros (US$89), and represented but one of hundreds of hemp
products available worldwide in health food stores, super-markets and
via the Internet.

Hemp comes from the plant of the botanical name Cannabis Sativa. The
difference between marijuana and hemp is the appearance and the
respective amounts of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Strains of
Cannabis Sativa that are approved for industrial hemp use (such as
rope and clothing) and hemp foods contain only minute amounts of this
psychoactive compound, whereas marijuana and hashish (’narcotics’)
contain high amounts of THC. Hemp seeds are considered by leading
researchers and medical doctors to be one of the most nutritious food
sources on the planet. Hemp seed contain 33 percent pure digestible
protein, and are rich in iron and vitamin E, as well as omega-3 and
omega-6 fatty acids.

Hemp products are commonly found in health-food stores and
supermarkets in the USA, Canada and Europe including Greece. Hemp is
sold as a whole seed, a powder, as nut butter, as oil and salad
dressings, and is sprouted for inclusion in healthy breads. Hemp is
also used to make organic breakfast cereals, and is increasingly
popular as a non-dairy milk (similar to rice, soy and almond milks),
and as a non-dairy ice cream. Hemp is the highest source of essential
fatty acids in the plant kingdom. Of the three million plus edible
plants that grow on Earth, no other single plant source can compare
with the nutritional value of hemp seeds. Both the complete protein
and the essential oils contained in hemp seeds are in ideal ratios for
human nutrition. Hemp protein contains all 21 known amino acids,
including the 8 essential amino acids that adult bodies are unable to
produce. It is rich in vitamin E, iron, and contains 33% protein. This
means that per serving, hemp contains more protein than meat, fish,
chicken and cheese.

Unfortunately, paranoia from the so-called ‘War on Drugs’ has
sometimes implicated non-psychoactive industrial hemp varieties of
cannabis with psychoactive marijuana varieties. The Greek court
system, for instance, finds it difficult to define the difference
between hemp food and marijuana. Tests of the Navitas Hemp Protein
Powder by chemists at Greek Customs claim to have located trace
particles of THC. According to Greek law this renders the hemp protein
Anna received as an equivalent to marijuana. This has lead to Anna
being charged with four criminal counts of drug possession. As a
result, Anna could face prison if the court system cannot be convinced
that the hemp food that she received is a valid, and universally
legal, form of nutrition. According to Oprah Winfrey-consultant and
best selling author Dr. Andrew Weil: “There is absolutely no health
concern about trace amounts of THC in hemp foods.”