Hemp smoothie maker ordered to amend advertising implying that it could get you high

Popular New Zealand salad and sandwich chain Habitual Fix has been ordered to pull advertising for its top-selling hemp smoothie because it made it sound like the drink could get you high. The advertising for Habitual Fix's hemp smoothie included slogans such as "Man, that's some strong stuff", "Just ask your dealer," and "Don't panic, we also do munchies".



The $7.50 smoothies are a blend of hemp oil, cucumber, mint, yoghurt and apple juice. They were being served in a plastic cup with a cannabis leaf on the front. Tim Benest from Habitual Fix says gives his four children aged 4 to 12 a green hemp smoothie each morning. "They love it. It's a great way to get kids to eat their vegetables." The hemp smoothie was the second-highest seller with 1,000 made each week around New Zealand, he said.

The store at Auckland Airport didn't sell many because airline staff cautiously avoided it due to drug testing concerns. "People still don't understand it has no drug in it. It is harmless but is very healthy. It's a fantastic product," Benest said. This week, the Ministry of Primary Industry contacted the owners of Habitual Fix and ordered them to amend the advertising. The store was told to remove all health claims, drug references and to stop using images of the cannabis leaf.



All advertising was immediately altered. Benest said he was happy to comply and only used drug references to provoke debate so staff could point out that there was no drug in the drink. "A lot of people don't know the difference so we wanted to create an opportunity to talk about it," Benest said. Hemp oil is legal in New Zealand because it does not contain the psychoactive substance tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Benest stood by the health claims of the smoothie but said they would no longer be used in advertising.