Snacking "Strong & KIND" may put extra protein in your diet, but could also put you in danger of failing a drug test, the Army says.
The protein-focused line of increasingly popular KIND brand granola bars contains hemp seeds, according to both the Army and the company's website. The Army believes the seeds used in the "Strong & KIND" line — which can contain low levels of tetrahydrocannabinol
(aka THC, the active ingredient in marijuana) — could trigger a positive drug test.
Other lines of KIND bars, generally made of nuts along with fruit and other natural flavorings, do not contain hemp seeds. The Army & Air Force Exchange Service carries them in stores.
Signs posted at some installations warn soldiers the bars are not allowed on post.
"Soldiers and airmen don't need to worry that we are going to sell them something that is going to make them pop positive on a drug test," Ward said. "If they can't have it we're not going to sell it."
KIND spokeswoman Stephanie Peterson noted in an emailed statement to Army Times that the seeds come from plants with far less THC than the species of cannabis used to make marijuana. The bars adhere to U.S. Department of Agriculture testing standards, and have a THC level of 0.001 percent, she said.
The Army did not answer questions about whether any soldiers have been reported as testing positive for drug use based on eating KIND bars, or how much of the snack soldiers would need to eat to test positive. Spokesman Paul Prince noted in an emailed statement that U.S. manufactured products are not allowed to contain any THC that enters the body.
Army Regulation 600-85 para 4-2, (p) bans any soldier use of hemp or products containing hemp oil. Violations can result in Uniform Code of Military Justice punishment or administrative action, as noted in an April press release.
Soldiers who test positive for drugs can obtain a retest from the Department of Defense if there's enough specimen left over, or pay for a private lab retest if there's not enough of the same specimen available, Prince said. He also said 98 percent of the Army tests negative for illicit drugs, "which shows the majority of our soldiers are living by the Army values."
The USDA notes hemp seeds contain "high-quality, digestible protein."
That's why Strong & KIND contains the seeds, Peterson said.
"We include hemp seeds in our Strong & KIND bars because they contribute protein, fiber and other important nutrients such as potassium and phosphorus. Hemp, when combined with the protein from almonds, peas and pumpkin seeds, provides all nine essential amino acids," Peterson wrote.
The Strong & KIND line advertises 10 grams of protein in a nutritious, 240-calorie snack. The company's website lists all ingredients for each product. The company drew a warning from the Food & Drug Administration for claiming the bars as "healthy" because of high levels of saturated fat. But the company maintains that the nuts that elevate unsaturated fat totals have been found by studies to be "wholesome and nutritious."
U.S. law technically bars products designed for human consumption from containing hemp; THC is a Schedule 1 controlled substance. But a 2004 Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision allowed for hemp-containing foods with naturally occurring, non-psychoactive THC. That came after a Canadian importer sued over the 1999 seizure of foods that contained trace amounts of THC.
"(The DEA) cannot regulate naturally occurring THC not contained within or derived from marijuana — i.e., non-psychoactive hemp products — because non-psychoactive hemp is not included in Schedule I. The DEA has no authority to regulate drugs that are not scheduled, and it has not followed procedures required to schedule a substance," said the unanimous ruling, which the DEA has not appealed to the Supreme Court.
