Bad Seed

The Drug Enforcement Administration has finalized its ban on edible hemp products, which is scheduled to take effect on April 21. The policy, based on a misreading of the Controlled Substances Act , is an act of senseless anti-drug zealotry. The trace levels of THC in hemp products are too low to be psychoactive or even to trigger a positive urinalysis result in any but the most extreme cases. But because the DEA doesn't like pot smokers, I can't buy hemp seed granola anymore. This is like cracking down on heroin by banning poppy seed bagels.

The Hemp Industries Association has challenged the DEA's ban in federal court, and it may prevail. Last year the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit issued a stay preventing an earlier version of the ban from taking effect until a ruling on its validity. The decision to issue the stay suggests the court saw at least some merit in the industry's case.