Ingesting legal hemp seed oil may cause an individual to fail a standard urine drug screen, according to two reports in the August issue of The Journal of Analytical Toxicology.
Results of a study recently completed by ARUP laboratories in Utah indicate, “Commercially available cold-pressed hemp seed oil contains cannabinoids at levels capable of producing a positive standard workplace drug test. … A dose consistent with the manufacturer’s recommendation … [is] sufficient to cause a positive finding for cannabinoid metabolites in a workplace urine drug testing procedure designed to detect marijuana use.” The study noted that no pharmacological effects were observed in test subjects after consuming hemp seed oil.
A letter to the editor published in the same issue affirmed the ARUP findings with those of a team of international researchers. “We would like to report on the possibility of achieving a positive urinalysis for THC metabolites after modest consumption of commercially available hemp seed oil in Cannabis-naive individuals,” the letter states. “Thus, in absence of recreational drug use, it may become necessary to consider this source as a viable explanation for cannabinoid metabolites in urine.”
Hemp seed oil is sold commercially in health food stores across the nation. Presently, health professionals like Dr. Andrew Weil tout the nutritional benefits of hemp seed oil, noting that it is second only to soy in protein and contains the highest concentration of essential amino and fatty acids found in any food.
Hemp seed oil may be applied to foods just prior to consumption or ingested in capsule form. Participants in the studies tested positive for THC regardless of which way they consumed the oil.
“Urinalysis is not a reliable indicator of workplace impairment, and in some instances, is not even a true detector of past marijuana use,” said Allen St. Pierre, Executive Director of The NORML Foundation. “As the use of hemp seed oil gains popularity, employers need to recognize that this legal product may test positive for THC.”
For more information or copies of the studies, please contact either Allen St. Pierre or Paul Armentano of The NORML Foundation @ (202) 483-8751. For more information on hemp seed oil’s nutritional potential, please contact NORML board member Don Wirtshafter of The Ohio Hempery @ (614) 662-4367.