FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Pubdate: September 24, 1999
DEA Seizes “Birdseed” as Schedule I
Narcotic
Contact
Jean Laprise: (519) 351-9922 or (519) 436-8025
Detroit,
Michigan - The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has
declared war
on Canada's industrial hemp industries. On August 9,
1999 it seized a
tractor trailer load of sterilized Canadian hemp seed
on its way to a
large U.S. company that has been selling hemp
birdseed blends
for years. U.S. Customs and the DEA then demanded
that Kenex, Canada’s
leading producer and processor of industrial hemp
products, recall
previous shipments of other hemp products such as
oil, granola bars,
horse bedding and animal feed. These actions were
taken even though all
of the products are clearly under the U.S. Controlled
Substances Act
since 1937 and many have been sold in the U.S. For
years.
The DEA, after repeated requests, refuses to provide
any legal basis for
the confiscation or recall. Kenex’s president,
Jean Laprise says,
“Kenex, along with many other U.S. companies are
suffering irreparable
damages due to the illegal actions taken by the DEA
and US Customs. It
seems like the DEA could be spending the taxpayer's
drug war money in
better ways than chasing around after bird seed and
horse bedding.”
U.S. Customs is threatening $500,000 in fines against
Kenex if their
recall of granola bars, oil, animal feed and other
products are not
redelivered to Detroit Customs in the next few days.
These fines are in
addition to the fines and possible criminal charges
that may be laid in
relation to the birdseed load itself. A 30 days
extension request to
clarify the situation was denied by U.S. Customs.
U.S. Customs is now also issuing subpoenas to Kenex's
customers in the
U.S. to obtain all correspondence documents and any
other records related
to all hemp product purchases from Kenex including
fiber use to
manufacture car parts.
Jean Laprise says, “All the proper documentation
has been supplied to
Customs in the past in accordance with our custom
broker’s instructions.
Kenex has always acted in good faith and has never
violated any U.S.
laws. Our legal counsel has advised us that the DEA
and U.S. Customs are
acting in clear violation of U.S. laws as well as
NAFTA.
