GNC, a major retailer of vitamins, dietary supplements and nutritional supplements, pulled a protein supplement from shelves at stores on military bases this month because it contained hemp seeds, a substance banned for military personnel.
In a September 12th internal GNC notice, Shared screenshots A message was sent to the Air Force amn/nco/snco Facebook page this weekend calling for the immediate removal of Huel’s four ready-to-drink protein shake products.
“Please remove this product from shelves immediately and store it in your backroom until further instructions,” an internal communication email to all GNC military stores read. “Please be aware that the product may be available in future orders.”
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Nicholas Cerro, director of public relations for GNC, confirmed the authenticity of the memo in an email to Military.com, adding that on Sept. 5, a GNC field team became aware of Huel products containing hemp seed protein, which is not approved for use by active-duty military personnel, and the retailer took “immediate action to issue an alert and make adjustments.”
Hemp, which comes from the same plant as marijuana, is prohibited in the military, and military personnel who knowingly use hemp can be punished under Article 92 (failure to comply with orders) or Article 112a (unlawful use or possession of a controlled substance) of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
The official memo was sent on Sept. 12 “to ensure that all stores have completed their removals,” Cerro added. GNC currently operates 87 stores on military bases, he added.
“GNC’s field teams quickly identified the issue with the ingredients and took immediate action to notify stores and corporate headquarters on the day of launch,” Cerro said. “As an added precaution, we issued an additional memo to remove all products from shelves. GNC takes our relationship with the military community very seriously.”
Cerro added that any military member who purchased these products can return them to their nearest GNC store for a full refund.
This isn’t the first time GNC has removed products from a military store. In 2013, a newspaper in Fort Jackson, South Carolina, Reported The dietary supplement Craze has been pulled from store shelves after studies claimed it contained a methamphetamine derivative.
The Army newspaper also reported that the Marines had removed a dietary supplement called OxyElite Pro from stores after it was linked to acute hepatitis and liver failure in Hawaii.
But the recent incident at GNC shows that military personnel are often unknowingly exposed to cannabis and cannabidiol (also known as CBD) as well as tetrahydrocannabinol (also known as THC), the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.
Attitudes towards marijuana and the presence of its byproducts, such as hemp and CBD, in retail products have changed and increased significantly over the past decade. Most states have legalized marijuana for recreational, medical, or both purposes. Only 10 states in the country do not allow marijuana use in any form. According to MJBizDailyAn industry magazine that tracks cannabis trends.
Military personnel are not permitted to consume marijuana, CBD or hemp products, regardless of the legalization status in their state of residence.
But with marijuana becoming increasingly legal, many militaries are changing their policies.
In 2022, Air Force officials began trialing a THC pilot program that would give otherwise perfect recruits who test positive for marijuana the opportunity to retest before enlisting. Earlier this year, Military.com reported that the Navy would no longer exclude recruits from boot camp if detectable amounts of marijuana were found in their systems.
Lawmakers have welcomed the change. In May, the House’s annual defense policy bill included a provision banning marijuana testing for prospective recruits. The policy must be finalized between the House and Senate before it can become law.
President Joe Biden’s administration sought to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug on the federal government’s list of controlled substances in May, but Military.com previously reported that such a move likely wouldn’t mean much of a change for veterans and service members.
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