Greek Health Crusader Is Arrested For Ordering Hemp Protein
Monday, July 21st, 2008On Wednesday morning July 16th, Anna Korakaki went to her local post
office in Athens, Greece to pick up her latest health product order
from Navitas Naturals, a health food company based in the USA. Anna
had previously received shipments from Navitas which included raw
cacao from Ecuador, maca from Peru, goji berries from Tibet, and other
high-quality nutritious foods. Moments after accepting her package
Anna was immediately intercepted by 4 police officers, thrown on the
hood of a police car and brutally handcuffed. Police then ransacked
her apartment and after finding nothing suspicious or illegal, took
Anna to a police station for further interrogation. Anna was then
forced to spend the night in an Athens jail cell. The reason for Anna
Korakaki’s arrest was that she had received 4.5 kilos of hemp protein
(a ’super-food’ made from powdered hemp seeds). which she had ordered
for the express purpose of making healthy smoothies. The order had a
value of 57 Euros (US$89), and represented but one of hundreds of hemp
products available worldwide in health food stores, super-markets and
via the Internet.
Hemp comes from the plant of the botanical name Cannabis Sativa. The
difference between marijuana and hemp is the appearance and the
respective amounts of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Strains of
Cannabis Sativa that are approved for industrial hemp use (such as
rope and clothing) and hemp foods contain only minute amounts of this
psychoactive compound, whereas marijuana and hashish (’narcotics’)
contain high amounts of THC. Hemp seeds are considered by leading
researchers and medical doctors to be one of the most nutritious food
sources on the planet. Hemp seed contain 33 percent pure digestible
protein, and are rich in iron and vitamin E, as well as omega-3 and
omega-6 fatty acids.
Hemp products are commonly found in health-food stores and
supermarkets in the USA, Canada and Europe including Greece. Hemp is
sold as a whole seed, a powder, as nut butter, as oil and salad
dressings, and is sprouted for inclusion in healthy breads. Hemp is
also used to make organic breakfast cereals, and is increasingly
popular as a non-dairy milk (similar to rice, soy and almond milks),
and as a non-dairy ice cream. Hemp is the highest source of essential
fatty acids in the plant kingdom. Of the three million plus edible
plants that grow on Earth, no other single plant source can compare
with the nutritional value of hemp seeds. Both the complete protein
and the essential oils contained in hemp seeds are in ideal ratios for
human nutrition. Hemp protein contains all 21 known amino acids,
including the 8 essential amino acids that adult bodies are unable to
produce. It is rich in vitamin E, iron, and contains 33% protein. This
means that per serving, hemp contains more protein than meat, fish,
chicken and cheese.
Unfortunately, paranoia from the so-called ‘War on Drugs’ has
sometimes implicated non-psychoactive industrial hemp varieties of
cannabis with psychoactive marijuana varieties. The Greek court
system, for instance, finds it difficult to define the difference
between hemp food and marijuana. Tests of the Navitas Hemp Protein
Powder by chemists at Greek Customs claim to have located trace
particles of THC. According to Greek law this renders the hemp protein
Anna received as an equivalent to marijuana. This has lead to Anna
being charged with four criminal counts of drug possession. As a
result, Anna could face prison if the court system cannot be convinced
that the hemp food that she received is a valid, and universally
legal, form of nutrition. According to Oprah Winfrey-consultant and
best selling author Dr. Andrew Weil: “There is absolutely no health
concern about trace amounts of THC in hemp foods.”
It is well established that the seeds harvested from industrial hemp
Cannabis Sativa, such as are grown in Canada and throughout the EU can
contain low levels of THC. These levels are typically in the parts per
million (ppm). In the USA, hemp foods are legal to sell and there is
currently no legal limit on the THC content. In Canada and Europe
regulations limit the concentration of THC in hemp seed oil and other
food products to less than 10 parts per million.
The hemp protein that Anna Korakaki ordered is made from 100% ground
hemp seed, grown and processed in Canada by Hemp Oil Canada Inc. and
distributed by Navitas Naturals in the USA. In a statement from Hemp
Oil Canada Inc. its president Shawn Crew writes, “From the seed
harvested, we are regulated to produce products which must contain
less than 10 ppm (as the Canadian legal limit). According to the
official Health Canada testing protocol for THC, the limit of
detection is 4 ppm. So any analysis result falling under 4 ppm is
reported as none detected. We are pleased to report that not a single
analysis of our products has ever produced a result over 4 ppm and
therefore it is stated and reported as none detected.” Because of
this fact and that the nutritional information listed for the product
declared no THC levels, Anna felt certain that hemp protein was legal
in Greece.
The day of Anna Korakaki’s arrest, her friends went to a local health
food store in Athens to purchase a loaf of sprouted hemp bread
(meaning that whole hemp seeds had been imported to Greece, then
sprouted and ground for baking). The bread was brought before the
judge to demonstrate that hemp foods are available in Greece, which
seemed to shock the judge, but made no difference to his thinking
towards Anna’s parole. Anna is now required to go to her local police
station once per month, identify her self and register by signature –
until such time as her decisive day in court –which, given the
typical speed with which Greek justice is served, could be as much as
two years away.
It stands to reason that even if someone were to eat an entire 4.5
kilos bag of hemp protein, they would not experience any effects, or
an altered state of consciousness, from the THC– perhaps just a
bloated stomach. Anna’s story is so amazing in its absurdity that all
the media in Greece are following it.
Anna Korakaki is the cofounder of Super Foods Greece, a company that
provides educational seminars and super-foods in Greece. She
introduced raw food nutrition and super-foods to the nation of Greece.
Anna travels the world educating people on nutrition and advising them
on nutritional cleansing and natural healing, specializing in deep
detoxification and cellular rejuvenation. She is a certified massage
therapist and certified yoga instructor.
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