WHEREAS, under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and its implementing regulations, a Schedule I controlled substance cannot be imported into the United States unless the importing company is appropriately registered with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and has a permit to import such substance, nor can such product be cultivated, manufactured, distributed or sold within the United States without appropriate authorization; and

WHEREAS, federal drug law enforcement has become aware that many imported cannabis products (commonly referred to as “hemp”), including sterilized seed and oil manufactured from cannabis seed, may be contaminated with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, which is a Schedule I hallucinogenic controlled substance, and any product containing any amount of THC is considered to be a Schedule I controlled substance; and

WHEREAS, many imported cannabis products, including sterilized seed and oil manufactured from cannabis seed, are being used in food products and dietary supplements intended for human consumption and are increasing in popularity; and

WHEREAS, information and complaints have been received that individuals testing positive for marijuana use have raised their consumption of food products and dietary supplements manufactured from cannabis seed or oil as a defense to the positive drug tests; thus cannabis-based products undermine the integrity of the drug-testing program for the military and private industry; and

WHEREAS, the dietary and health food industries oppose the regulation of hemp-oil capsules, believing they have cholesterol-lowering properties, as Schedule I controlled substances. They ignore the public health in their claims and argue that trace amounts of THC in any of these products could not produce a psychoactive effect, which underscores the need to emphasize the affect on the credibility of work place drug testing; and

WHEREAS, the availability and potential production of cannabis products in the United States poses a great burden to law enforcement in terms of safety, identification, testing, eradication and destruction, and the economic and industrial viability of cannabis products is undetermined; now therefore be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police duly assembled at its 107th Annual Conference in San Diego, California, recognizes that it is important to maintain the illegal status of marijuana; that the availability of cannabis products poses many difficulties for law enforcement; and failure to act will leave the way unimpeded for the proponents of the legalization of marijuana; and that any products made from the sterilized seed or fiber of the cannabis plant are contaminated with THC, a Schedule I controlled substance; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the IACP strongly urges U.S. federal, state and local lawmakers, the National League of Cities, and the National Governors’ Association to uniformly support that any cannabis (“hemp”) product, intended for human consumption, should also be considered a Schedule I controlled substance and, as such, the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of such product should be prohibited in accordance with the CSA regulations.