Industrial hemp is a different strain from its bad-boy sibling in the \o7Cannabis sativa\f7 family and contains no meaningful amounts of THC. "You're certainly not going to get high off it," Kushi says.
Despite assurances by manufacturers that hemp foods are THC-free, Clemens, who oversaw USC's drug screening program for five years, suggests college or professional athletes stay away from hemp foods.
"There is some suggestion in the medical literature that when the oils and the proteins in hemp are isolated, there could be some THC contamination," he says.
Gero Leson, an environmental scientist, food researcher and scientific advisor to the Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance, disagrees.
"In the late 1990s, when hemp seeds were still imported from China," he says, "contaminated seeds and oil could contain up to 50 to 100 parts per million THC. Now, virtually all of the hemp foods sold in the U.S. are made from low-THC varieties and contain only minuscule amounts."
These levels are not detectable in a urine sample, he says.
Citing hemp's nutritional value, Jasper Blake thinks the unprepossessing nut has contributed to his success as a professional triathlete. He's been using hemp products for about six years -- 2 to 4 tablespoons of hemp nuts and about a tablespoon of hemp oil on average daily, as well as occasional protein powder.
The 2006 Ironman Canada champion (who receives free hemp products from Living Harvest, but no compensation) estimates that he has been tested for THC about 10 times since adding hemp to his diet and has never tested positive for the drug.
Whether hemp fare sticks around or fades into obscurity may depend on something that trumps versatility and nutritional benefits. "People are very interested in nutritional food," says Living Harvest's Volgyesi, "but in the end it has to taste good. It's all about the taste."
Ah yes, the taste. Hemp nuts taste a little like sunflower seeds, slightly crunchy and delicately flavorful -- addictive even, to some palates.
Ready-to-eat-foods made from the nuts are a mixed bag of flavors and textures -- ranging from reasonably good to impressively awful -- depending on the product and one's taste.
Someone accustomed to dense wheat-free bread and rice or soy milk may find hemp tortillas and hemp milk delicious.
For everyone else, here's a recommendation: Don't buy in bulk.
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janet.cromley@latimes.com
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