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Laillisen kuitu- ja öljyhampun sekä hampun lääkekäytön puolesta - sitoutumaton, ei-kaupallinen |
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Blogit - Dr. J.C. Callaway, Ph.D. blogien etusivulle J.C. Callawayn blogeihin
23.10.2008:
Noise from the North #3
Dear Readers,
A few people confused ignorance with stupidity after reading News from the North #2, as if the meaning of these words were the same. This in itself is another good example of ignorance, and not necessarily stupidity. Ignorance is defined as a lack of knowledge, or the unawareness of something important. Stupidity is a lack of intelligence. The misapplication of EU hemp sampling regulations by officials in some Member States is a good example of ignorance, because these sampling regulations are complex and difficult to understand. I do not exclude the possibility of stupidity as a factor in this mess, but for now I would like to focus on the demonstrated ignorance that still exists. At least we can do something about that!
Our quote for this week comes from Marie Curie (1867-1934):
"Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood"
Last week, in Noise from the North #2, I sent you my article entitled "A More Reliable Evaluation of Hemp THC Levels is Necessary and Possible", which will be printed in the next issue of the Journal of Industrial Hemp. This was to help in understanding EU Regulation No 796/2004, the inherent short comings in the methodologies and suggestions for improvement. If you are new to this listing, issues #1 and #2 are already posted and freely available at http://www.finola.com
Fear and ignorance are also responsible for facilitating the belief that a hemp variety can somehow spontaneously change into a drug-Cannabis variety, although there is no evidence to support this irrational opinion. Just as a person with blue eyes will not wake up one morning with brown eyes, hemp does not spontaneously change into drug-Cannabis. It just does not happen without cross-pollination, followed by selective breeding over several generations. To think that it does, or even to have a fear that this might be true, is a special kind of ignorance that may be compounded by stupidity. This is matter of scientific fact, not public policy, and must be understood from a rational point of view.
The production of THC and other cannabinoids is under genetic control, and may be influenced to only a small degree by the environment. This is why the EU crafted regulations that specify the sampling time of hemp according to flowering characteristics. A large number of plants are also taken to control for the natural heterogeneity in a variety. But it is not sufficient to simply gather the correct number of plants at an arbitrary time and run them though the analytical procedure to achieve a number. Somehow, the official sampler must also understand how to determine the correct time of sampling, which is practically impossible from the small bit of information that is provided in Section 2.1, Annex 1 of EU Regulation No 796/2004. There is no definition for the phrase "end of flowering", which is certainly more difficult to determine that the onset of flowering, from a botanical point of view. In other words, it is very easy to see when a plant begins to flower, but much more complicated to determine some vague point that could be universally described as the end of flowering. It is surprising that "end of flowering" is not at all defined in the regulation, and is basically left up to the person who goes out to collect the sample, who may or may not know anything about hemp, much less the botanical determination of its flowering characteristics.
This week, in Noise from the North #3, I continue to present information that will help in discussing the current politics of hemp in the EU, which are not simple or even logical at times. The special theme of this issue is CBD (cannabidiol), another major cannabinoid of interest. The two attached articles help us to understand why hemp cannot be effectively used for drug purposes. First, the levels of THC are simply too low in hemp, even in the most extreme examples. This point is clearly illustrated in the first article (Cannabis CBD/THC.pdf). Secondly, the higher levels of CBD in hemp will effectively attenuate the possibility of a psychoactive drug effect from the low levels of THC in hemp. In other words, nothing will happen even if someone were to try and use hemp for drug purposes. This point is clearly described in the second article (CBDreview.pdf).
The first attachment (Cannabis CBD/THC.pdf) is an excellent article by Dr. Karl Hillig and Professor Emeritus Paul Mahlberg, who show that the cannabinoid profiles of hemp varieties are significantly different from drug-Cannabis varieties. This is simply determined by the ratio of CBD to THC in these crops. The beauty of this analysis is three fold: 1) it can be made by the same analytical methodology described in Section 3.4 of Annex 1 of EU Regulation No 796/2004, 2) this analysis does not depend so heavily on a specified time of sampling and 3) there is not such a critical need to verify the concentration of the THC standard in the analytical procedure, which is a serious analytical pitfall that is not addressed by the current method.
One should ask, 'Why is this not already part of the analytical procedure?' or even 'Why isn't this already part of a methodology to evaluate a crop for drug potential before it is even admitted to the EU list of subsidized hemp varieties?' As far as laboratory work is concerned, it is even easier and more precise than the current methodology describe in Annex 1 of EU Regulation No 796/2004. Easier and more precise? Yes, it is, and because there is no need to worry so much about the time of sampling or verifying the THC standard, the officials who do this work would not actually have to try and learn how to do anything differently. This means that there would be no urgent need to develop an elaborate training system throughout the EU to try and teach people in 27 different Member States how to understand and apply the current list of complex methods in Annex 1 of EU Regulation No 796/2004. Unless, of course, the objective is to increase more jobs and confusion with the current regulation.
The second attachment (CBDreview.pdf) is a recent publication that reviews the pharmacology of CDB, which is the main cannabinoid in hemp. Aside from being a very effective anti-inflammatory agent, with absolutely no psychoactive potential, I was especially interested in the antipsychotic properties of CBD, which are also discussed in this article. Perhaps the CBD in hemp could even be used as a cure for cannabiphobia!
Currently, official sampling agents in at least some Member States have still not understood EU Regulation No 796/2004, and especially the methods described in Sections 2 and 3 in Annex 1 of EU Regulation No 796/2004. This has led to the misapplication of both sampling and analytical methodologies as an inevitable consequence of a legislation that is so complex and peculiar. There are even serious irregularities in the reporting of THC results from some Member States to the EU Commission. How has this regulation even evolve into this contorted mess of special interest methodologies? These will be other topics of interest to explore in future issues of Noise from the North.
For now, the question still worth asking is this- "Who really benefits from these complex and peculiar regulations, which are apparently designed to provide low THC values for monoecious fiber hemp varieties from Central Europe?"
Hmmmm, now who could that be?... Hmmmm... Let me think about it for a moment...
To provide the omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids that you may need to replenish your body and brain for important thoughts and actions, learn more about healthy hempseed nutrition and oil at http://www.finola.com
Sincerely yours,
Dr. J.C. Callaway, Ph.D.
Finola ky Seed and Oil
PL 236
FIN-70101 KUOPIO, Finland
Tel. +358 (0)40 725 2534
VAT number Y-1706848-2
www.finola.com
- ylös -
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Laillisen kuitu- ja öljyhampun sekä hampun lääkekäytön puolesta - sitoutumaton, ei-kaupallinen |
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