The deal, brokered on November 4th by the Canadian Embassy in Washington DC, resolved US Customs August 9th seizure of a load of hemp grain originating from Kenex farms in Southern Ontario, and DEA's demand that Kenex recall 17 loads of previously shipped hemp seed under the threat of penalty.
Kenex owner, Jean Laprise called the agreement a guarded win. "An issue has been resolved for the entire industry," he said. "Getting the Canadian government involved was a major factor. DEA didn't suspect we had so many friends in politics and the industry."
Although Kenex recently sent a load of hemp seed to Baltimore, the load seized in August remains in Detroit under Customs storage. Consequently, Kenex has no idea of the condition of the seeds nor the environment they are stored in. At this time, the company has not ruled out the option of suing DEA to recover legal and other expenses.
"We got the Zero Tolerance policy reversed, and basically got DEA to abide by US law," said Jean Laprise. "We accomplished our goal and are looking forward to doing a bigger business in the future."
Although neither the DEA nor US Customs has committed this change in policy to writing, the release of Kenex's hemp seed shipments is an important precedent for Canadian hemp producers. Since hemp production is not legal in the U.S., Canada is the natural source of hemp seed for the U.S. market. Canadian hemp producers and processors can now happily refocus on developing markets and raising consumer awareness of this incredibly versatile and nutritious food source.
