Warning out on marijuana derivatives

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Department of Health (DOH) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued yesterday an advisory against the use of hempseed oil products or their varieties and derivatives from cannabis or marijuana.

The prohibition is contained in the joint PDEA/DOH-FDA advisory signed by PDEA Director General Undersecretary Arturo G. Cacdac Jr., and DOH Secretary and FDA acting Director General Janette P. Loreto-Garin, who was represented by Undersecretary Kenneth Hartigan-Go, at the PDEA headquarters in Quezon City.

Cacdac said the advisory orders all manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, importers, dealers and retailers of the consumer products to:

• Declare the sources of hempseed oil products, or their varieties and derivatives in their labels or in writing to FDA or PDEA for verification and investigation;

• Stop the importation, sale, trading, administration, dispensation, delivery, distribution, and transportation of hempseed oil or its varieties and derivatives from cannabis or marijuana; and

• Surrender immediately the hempseed oil products or their varieties and derivatives from cannabis or marijuana to the nearest FDA or PDEA Offices without prejudice to the filing of any administrative criminal sanctions under Republic Act 9165 and RA 7394.

Hemp seed oil is obtained by pressing hemp seeds. Unrefined hemp oil is dark to clear light green in color, with a nutty flavor, while the refined hempseed oil is clear and colorless, with little flavor and lacks natural vitamins and antioxidants. The oil is manufactured from varieties of Cannabis Sativa that do not contain significant amounts of THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol), or cannabinoids, the psycho active element present in the cannabis plant.