Legal hemp products are pushing into the mainstream
Czech and European laws on hemp are fairly relaxed, as long as products are made of “industrial hemp” that contains only a trace amount of THC, the chemical that causes intoxication. This has led to a growing industry in products ranging from lollipops to skin ointments.
Movements to fully legalize marijuana are growing across Europe and in the United States, which is also generating more interest in spin-off products. Hemp is growing into the center of a lifestyle, as its advocates say it can be used for almost anything and is eco-friendly. It is also gaining acceptance among people interested in organic food and nature-based medicine.
Some hemp product vendors still have a 1960s-style counterculture vibe, with marijuana-leaf designs prominently featured, while others are much more serious and businesslike. All vendors emphasize that their products are legal, and most claim that there are health benefits from using hemp.
The lack of THC doesn’t deter customers. “THC is just one out of 150 good things in hemp. It is full of stuff that is really good for your health,” said Vítězslav, who declined to give his last name. He was selling products for České Budějovice–based Hemp Point at Festival Evolution, a recent fair for organic food, alternative medicine and similar products. “It is a good source of protein,” he said, indicating food products and snacks that his company sold.
“Seeds sell the best,” he added. People use them for cooking, such as making cookies and cakes, or roasting them with honey. They are also for growing, and these hemp seeds also result in plants that have less than 0.3 percent THC, the legal limit in the Czech Republic.
People can grow the plants in limited quantities, he said. The law is a bit complicated. Farmers who grow hemp as a crop on more that 100 square meters are required to file some additional paperwork that is not required for other crops. Even if you are under that limit, it is a good idea to keep records concerning the source of the seeds, advocates warn.
Hemp Point had the widest array of products, including lollipops, energy bars, herb-flavored salt, pasta, cookies, oil and flour, as well as hemp-flavored liquor, cosmetics and textile products from both local and imported sources.
Another vendor, Zelená země concentrated more on food and cosmetics. Hemp beer was one of their most popular items. “It is better than regular beer; you get a more relaxed feeling,” their salesperson Kateřina Hanačiková said. “Hemp tea also sells well,” she said, adding that seeds were also popular. Arabian coffee flavored with hemp seeds was a new product and had not been catching on yet. “It’s new. People have just seen it,” she added. Cannabissimo Coffee, imported from Italy, may be a tough sell, as most true coffee aficionados seldom go for added flavors. Tea drinkers, however, seem more willing to embrace new herbal blends.
She touted the benefits of hemp oil, which is high in Omega 3, an essential fatty acid, and has a good balance of Omega 3 and Omega 6. Some nutritionists claim that a 3:1 ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6 is most beneficial for human health, and hemp comes very close to this.
Supporters of the idea of using hemp oil in place of olive oil for cooking and salads also point out that hemp is lower in saturated fat.
While both Omega 3 and Omega 6 are necessary in a balanced diet, many of the health claims surrounding them remain unproven.
She also said that the cosmetics were popular, especially for people with sensitive skin, as the oils were beneficial.
A Czech firm that takes the medical power of hemp very seriously is Olomouc-based Annabis, which has a laboratory in Prague. Unlike the other companies, the image of the hemp leaf is rather small in advertisements. The logo uses a medical-style cross on a green background. They try to avoid the hippy-era appeal and instead adopt a highly professional look.
“Our clients are interested in nature-based lifestyle,” salesman Libor Janů said. Annabis uses only organic hemp sourced from the Czech Republic for its range of ointments, lotions and new line shampoos. The company has been around for six years and exports to much of the EU, Switzerland and Japan.
The firm does use the phrase “medical cannabis” in its English-language brochure and website, www.annabismedical.com, but this shouldn’t be confused with the American term “medical marijuana.” Like all legal hemp products, it contains virtually no THC.
A cream for joint pain is the most popular item, Janů said, followed by a skin cream and lip balm. It was too early to judge the popularity of the shampoos, he added. The firm’s literature touted many of the claims that the other vendors had made about essential oils and proteins, and added hemp cultivation had a relatively low impact in the environment compared to other plants.
The products often blend hemp with other natural oils to make them useful for specific problems, according to Janů.
A similar line of products is offered by Cannaderm, a Czech firm that also exports throughout the EU. Its products are certified as either bio (organic) or natural, and each product lists the amount of hemp in the product. The firm also claims the products free of mineral oils such as Vaseline, and synthetic dyes and fragrances. The products are also not tested on animals. In addition to skin ointments, lotions and shampoos, they offer sun block and soap.
Having started operations in 2002, they claim to be the first firm in the Czech Republic to offer hemp-based skin care products. They also point out that hemp oil was included in the Czech list of pharmaceutical ingredients in 2010. According to Cannaderm, studies concluded that hemp oil had a measurable moisturizing effect on skin, and when combined with other oils it had a soothing effect.
Most firms that carry hemp products seem to do so exclusively, with few if any non-hemp items in their array. But that is also changing. Aromatherapy and natural cosmetics firm Saloos (Saloos.cz) recently introduced a handful of hemp products including bath oil, shower oil and balm among their wide range of herbal products that otherwise includes products with oils from jasmine, clove, bergamot, lavender and eucalyptus, among other popular fragrances. Sales clerks said that more people had been asking about the hemp products than buying them, since they were new. So far, there have been no negative reactions to the idea of hemp side-by-side with jasmine.
Most vendors note that the food and healthcare products shouldn’t interfere with passing a drug test for people who are subject to random testing. Many of the health benefits do remain unproven, so as always, one should consult with a doctor or healthcare professional before starting any treatment.
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