Food ministers have rejected advice from Australia's food standards agency that hemp be allowed to be used in food. Hemp is a species of cannabis, but unlike marijuana contains no or very low levels of the mind- altering chemical tetrahydrocannabinol ( THC). It is used in Australia in clothing and building products, but cannot be used in food. In 2012, Food Standards Australia New Zealand approved an application to include hemp in food. Food ministers asked the agency to review its decision, which the agency reaffirmed, noting that foods derived from hemp seeds did not present any safety concerns. [continues 120 words]
I recently saw a amusing example on network television of this society's mixed message on illegal drug use. In a Fox network program, "That '70s Show," the use of marijuana was implied on several occasions. In one scene, the characters sat around a table and uttered inanities as if profound in an apparently drug-dazed state. No drugs or smoke were shown, but the meaning was only thinly veiled. During a commercial break in the same show, an anti-drug public service announcement was aired. [continues 130 words]
