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 hemp trials a success
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Norml News Autumn 2004
The third season of trialing hemp as an industrial crop has finished, with hemp farmers keen to give commercial planting a go but faced with months of delays as the Government decides on the regulations.
The Government has confirmed that commercial cultivation will proceed, but in a consultation document has proposed increasing the licence fee to more than $600 per application, up from $15 currently. It also wants compulsory THC testing of all crops, which would add hundreds more dollars to the cost of crops.
The hemp industry seeking changes, including reducing the license fee and allowing single licenses to cover multiple plots. Hemp farmers say they should also be able to avoid costly THC testing if their seed supplier is certified.
A working group is expected to announce the regulations by June. More info is at: www.nzhia.com
Photo caption: Our man in the field, Duncan Eddy Hemp education package Australian hemp growers have sent 21/2 tonnes of cannabis to their Federal Parliament in an effort to educate politicians about the difference between industrial hemp and marijuana. Philip Warner from Queensland's Ecofibre Industries says too many politicians do not know that industrial hemp is useless as a drug. Each MP was sent a 15 kilogram bag of hemp mulch in an effort to change their thinking.
Putting the Hemp on Brakes The UK Government has given scientists at the University of Exeter $400,000 to investigate whether hemp and other natural materials could be used to make sustainable eco-friendly brake pads. Currently 20,000 tonnes of brake materials, including Kevlar, lead and antimony pollute the environment in the UK each year. Alternative natural fibres, like hemp and sisal, could cut pollution and reduce costs. Replacing Kevlar with hemp would make production cheaper by a multiple of at least 15.
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