Alterna Hemp Hair Care Sues President of DARE America Kimberlee
Mitchell 310-824-2508 ext:258
Full text L.A. Times Story
November 18, 1998
LOS ANGELES- Alterna Applied Research Laboratories, maker of professional
hemp hair care products, filed a lawsuit today against Glenn Levant,
who currently serves as president and founding director of DARE
America, Inc., which nationally promotes the Drug Abuse Resistance
Education (DARE) program. Alterna filed the lawsuit in reaction
to defamatory statements made by Levant appearing on Friday, November
6 in an article in The Los Angeles Times
.
I want to make it clear that our issue is not with DARE nor
is
this lawsuit a critique of DARE's commendable work. Alterna believes
strongly in DARE'S drug education programs that teach our nation's
children about the evils of drugs. Our lawsuit was filed against
Glenn Levant as an individual, who made false and malicious public
comments about Alterna, which have not only maligned our company but
pose a reputational and financial threat to the thousands of salons who
sell our THC (Drug) free product across the nation. As a manufacturer I
have a responsibility not only to protect my own company, but the business
of my customers, reasons Mike Brady, vice president of sales and
marketing for Alterna.
In The Los Angeles Times article, Levant stated that
Alterna
was "promot[ing] an illegal substance." Even after Alterna
provided the documented facts demonstrating that Levant is incorrect, he
nevertheless refused to acknowledge that Alterna's hemp product is a
viable and legal commodity, as is clearly stated in Public Law 91-513,
section 102 [15]: sterile hemp seeds [the source from where Alterna
gets the oil used in their products] are specifically excluded from the
definition of marijuana and are not controlled substances under federal
law. Levant's continual denial of these facts helped precipitate the
forced removal of Alterna's hemp shampoo ads from more than 100 bus
benches in Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley.
The Los Angeles Times also quoted Levant as saying, "the shampoo
is a subterfuge to promote marijuana." Since incorporating hemp seed oil
into its products, Alterna has undertaken an aggressive national hemp
education campaign, called LEARN MORE, which is designed to dispel
myths and misinformation about the marked differences between hemp and
marijuana. Alterna perceives Levant's irresponsible and misleading
comments to be slanderous and far from the truth. Proactive in its
approach to educate the nation of hemp's many environmental, economic
and cosmetic benefits, Alterna holds fast to two proven facts: hemp is
not marijuana and hemp is not a drug. By associating a hemp leaf
with the word "HEMP" and the phrase "THC (Drug) free" in its
advertising Alterna has sent a clear message to the public that the
company is opposed to the drug culture. In addition, Alterna's
information laden hemp educational packages are mailed out to anyone
who calls looking to learn more about hemp. The company does not
align itself with any group that advocates the use or
legalization of marijuana.
Alterna can not excuse the derogatory and erroneous statements made
public in The Los Angeles Times article, which have negatively
affected the reputation of their Los Angeles-based business.
Alterna's goal is to resolve the lawsuit with Levant through means
of non-litigation. Ultimately, the hair care company would be
satisfied to receive a retraction in The Los Angeles Times, Levant's
payment of Alterna's legal fees as well as correctional advertising to
inform all Alterna customers of Levant's inaccurate comments. Mike
Brady, vice president of sales and marketing for Alterna, deems this
an appropriate response for the ill informed and damaging statements
Levant made publicly.
Since the forced removal of the city-owned bus benches early this
month, Alterna's awareness campaign has been temporarily impeded.
Alterna has been denied the opportunity to further create dialog
generating awareness about THC (Drug) free hemp, explains Mike Brady.
We plan to post a new billboard in Los Angeles this week to keep our
message alive. What we are doing is not only legal but ethical. Hemp's
many environmentally friendly uses can not be ignored. The billboard,
which is an oversized version of the fallen bus benches, will be
posted in Los Angeles on Westwood Boulevard and Olympic by Friday,
November 20.
Hemp Shampoo Maker Sues DARE
By STEPHEN GREGORY, Los Angeles Times November 19, 1998
A Westwood shampoo manufacturer has sued the head of a national anti-drug
organization, alleging that he defamed the company in a recent newspaper
article. Alterna Inc. filed the civil suit against Glenn Levant, a former
deputy Los Angeles police chief and founder of DARE America Inc., a private,
nonprofit group that promotes the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program to
schoolchildren nationwide. The suit, filed in Los Angeles
County Superior
Court, alleges that Levant made false and malicious statements about the
company when he said in a Nov. 6 Los Angeles Times article that the
company's Alterna Hemp Shampoo "is a subterfuge to promote marijuana"
because its ads feature a cannabis leaf. In a news release, the
company said
it would drop the suit if Levant retracted his statement in the newspaper,
paid the company's legal fees and financed "correctional advertising to
inform all Alterna customers of Levant's inaccurate comments." Levant called
the suit "a cheap publicity gimmick" that is without merit.
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