Hemp reminder for all JBLM Airmen Published Jan. 6, 2014 By Capt. Christine Kugele 62nd Airlift Wing assistant staff judge advocate JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. -- Last year's passing of Washington State Initiative 502 legalized marijuana under certain circumstances within the state. This has sparked innovation by some business owners around the state to find new applications for hemp. One example is using hemp seed to brew beer. Airmen stationed here should be hesitant of these innovations regarding the ingestion of products that contain or are derived from hemp seeds or hemp oil. Air Force Instruction 44-120, Military Drug Demand Reduction Program, paragraph 1.1.5 and AFI 44-121, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment (ADAPT) Program, paragraph 3.2.2 state that products made with hemp seed or hemp oil may contain varying levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) which is detectable under the Air Force Drug Testing Program. In order to ensure military readiness, ingestion of any products containing or derived from hemp seed or hemp oil is prohibited. This prohibition includes ingesting products that claim to have removed all traces of THC from their product. Failure to comply with these AFI provisions is a violation of Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Additionally, detection of THC in a urinalysis may violate Article 112(a) of the UCMJ. Some products derived from hemp seed or hemp oil may not state such content explicitly on the label. All Airmen should be diligent in reading the ingredients on any product they believe may contain hemp. Despite Washington's I-502 passage, the use of marijuana by service members remains a violation of the UCMJ and federal law. Any use or ingestion could lead to prosecution.