T
The420Guy
Guest
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms may be loose on language,
but it's getting tough on drugs. In a reversal of an earlier label
approval, the agency has told Frederick Brewing of Maryland it can no
longer call its popular dark ale Hempen Ale.
The beer is made with hemp seeds, like those used to grow marijuana.
The seeds are sterile, however, and contain no THC, the psychotropic
substance that gets users stoned.
Mostly, the seeds are a gimmick, though brewers say they do add body
to ales.
ATF had approved Frederick's pot-leafed label in 1997. It quickly
became one of the brewery's most popular beers. Last spring, however,
the agency did an about-face.
In a little publicized order, the agency said that while brewers could
continue to use hemp in alcoholic beverages, they could no longer
advertise that fact. That includes any reference to word "hemp" in a
brand name.
According to the order, brewers were forbidden to use "depictions,
graphics, designs, devices, puffery, statements, slang,
representations, etc., implying or referencing the presence of hemp,
marijuana, any other controlled substance, or any pyschoactive
effects."
Al Spinelli, general manager of Frederick Brewing, said the brewery
was permitted to continue produce the ale until it runs out of
packaging materials that it had purchased before the ban. He said
Hempen Ale should be completely off the shelves sometime this summer.
Frederick - which had been recently purchased by a holding group
called Snyder International - didn't put up a fight. "Our position is
that Hempen Ale is not in our long-term portfolio, so I can't say it
really bothered us a lot that they came down with this ruling,"
Spinelli said.
An attorney familiar with the case said, however, "If someone wanted
to challenge the policy, I would be extremely confident they could
challenge it on First Amendment issues. You look at what the regulators
are doing, and I say it's flatly illegal. But it'll cost you six
figures to beat it."
So why did ATF reverse itself?
Complaints from a single consumer group, a agency spokeswoman said.
"There was a feeling that the labeling could be interpreted that this
was liquid THC," she said.
Outsiders accuse the agency of giving in to anti-drug zealots.
Larry Lesterud, who makes Hemp Ale for Humboldt Brewing in California,
believes the crackdown was prompted by the White House.
Last year, his shipment of hemp seeds was halted at the border, he
said, by the Office of National Drug Control Policy - the White House
drug czar.
"They're just trying to starve the country out of hemp products," said
Lesterud. He said he can still legally bottle his Hemp Ale as long as
he doesn't sell it across state lines.
"This is the White House saying we don't want hemp in America. They're
really quite fascist about it."
- Joe Sixpack
Source: Inquirer (PA)
Published: April 27, 2001
Copyright: 2001 Philadelphia Newspapers Inc.
Website: Philadelphia local news, sports, jobs, cars, homes - Philly.com
Contact: Inquirer.Letters@phillynews.com
Fredrick Brewing Company
Buy Domains - Find a Premium Domain & Open Your Doors, BuyDomains.com
Hempen Ale Home
今日中に30万円cs02＠申込んだ日に借入するならココ！
Humboldt Brewing Company Hemp Beer!
HugeDomains.com - HumBrew.com is for sale (Hum Brew)
Date: Fri, 27 Apr 2001 17:06:42 -0700 (PDT)
From: DdC <dendecannabist@yahoo.com>
To: Paul Standford **Restore <restore@crrh.org>,
"HempTalk" *3 <hemp-talk@hemp.net>
Cc: **axiom <axiom@greatmystery.org>, Dana **Beal <dana@cures-not-wars.org>,
MUTANEX **FutureWorks <mutanex@aloha.net>,
LTE's **MoJones <letters@motherjones.com>,
**MollyIvins <mollyivins@star-telegram.com>
Subject: Hemp Makes The List of Bureau's Banned Buzzwords
but it's getting tough on drugs. In a reversal of an earlier label
approval, the agency has told Frederick Brewing of Maryland it can no
longer call its popular dark ale Hempen Ale.
The beer is made with hemp seeds, like those used to grow marijuana.
The seeds are sterile, however, and contain no THC, the psychotropic
substance that gets users stoned.
Mostly, the seeds are a gimmick, though brewers say they do add body
to ales.
ATF had approved Frederick's pot-leafed label in 1997. It quickly
became one of the brewery's most popular beers. Last spring, however,
the agency did an about-face.
In a little publicized order, the agency said that while brewers could
continue to use hemp in alcoholic beverages, they could no longer
advertise that fact. That includes any reference to word "hemp" in a
brand name.
According to the order, brewers were forbidden to use "depictions,
graphics, designs, devices, puffery, statements, slang,
representations, etc., implying or referencing the presence of hemp,
marijuana, any other controlled substance, or any pyschoactive
effects."
Al Spinelli, general manager of Frederick Brewing, said the brewery
was permitted to continue produce the ale until it runs out of
packaging materials that it had purchased before the ban. He said
Hempen Ale should be completely off the shelves sometime this summer.
Frederick - which had been recently purchased by a holding group
called Snyder International - didn't put up a fight. "Our position is
that Hempen Ale is not in our long-term portfolio, so I can't say it
really bothered us a lot that they came down with this ruling,"
Spinelli said.
An attorney familiar with the case said, however, "If someone wanted
to challenge the policy, I would be extremely confident they could
challenge it on First Amendment issues. You look at what the regulators
are doing, and I say it's flatly illegal. But it'll cost you six
figures to beat it."
So why did ATF reverse itself?
Complaints from a single consumer group, a agency spokeswoman said.
"There was a feeling that the labeling could be interpreted that this
was liquid THC," she said.
Outsiders accuse the agency of giving in to anti-drug zealots.
Larry Lesterud, who makes Hemp Ale for Humboldt Brewing in California,
believes the crackdown was prompted by the White House.
Last year, his shipment of hemp seeds was halted at the border, he
said, by the Office of National Drug Control Policy - the White House
drug czar.
"They're just trying to starve the country out of hemp products," said
Lesterud. He said he can still legally bottle his Hemp Ale as long as
he doesn't sell it across state lines.
"This is the White House saying we don't want hemp in America. They're
really quite fascist about it."
- Joe Sixpack
Source: Inquirer (PA)
Published: April 27, 2001
Copyright: 2001 Philadelphia Newspapers Inc.
Website: Philadelphia local news, sports, jobs, cars, homes - Philly.com
Contact: Inquirer.Letters@phillynews.com
Fredrick Brewing Company
Buy Domains - Find a Premium Domain & Open Your Doors, BuyDomains.com
Hempen Ale Home
今日中に30万円cs02＠申込んだ日に借入するならココ！
Humboldt Brewing Company Hemp Beer!
HugeDomains.com - HumBrew.com is for sale (Hum Brew)
Date: Fri, 27 Apr 2001 17:06:42 -0700 (PDT)
From: DdC <dendecannabist@yahoo.com>
To: Paul Standford **Restore <restore@crrh.org>,
"HempTalk" *3 <hemp-talk@hemp.net>
Cc: **axiom <axiom@greatmystery.org>, Dana **Beal <dana@cures-not-wars.org>,
MUTANEX **FutureWorks <mutanex@aloha.net>,
LTE's **MoJones <letters@motherjones.com>,
**MollyIvins <mollyivins@star-telegram.com>
Subject: Hemp Makes The List of Bureau's Banned Buzzwords
