The Hemp Industry Act 2008 (NSW) and the Hemp Industry (NSW) Regulations 2016 allow business owners to apply for a licence to grow, manufacture and supply low-THC hemp. The above legislation sets out the details and responsibilities of licensees and how to request them. In 2010, in media detail, a hemp farmer on Sydney`s northern beaches was legally growing 500 hemp plants in his garden. [43] The Sydney Morning Herald describes grower Richard Friar as a hemp evangelist – a firm belief in the transformative potential of the cannabis world, which can be used in everything from food to fabrics to building materials. [43] With the approval of the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Friar and his wife are part of a pilot project to educate farmers about the benefits of growing hemp for its by-products ranging from food to fabrics. The author also notes that in December 2009, Friar applied to Food Standards Australia New Zealand for permission to sell the seeds for human consumption; Approval is awaited. [43] In 2012, hemp seeds and proteins are available in health food stores, but with labels indicating that the product is not intended for human consumption. The Nimbin Hemp Embassy is a non-profit organization founded in 1992. The goals of the message are to reform cannabis law through a community education program on hemp products and cannabis and to “promote a more tolerant and compassionate attitude towards people in general.” [84] According to the HEMP Embassy website, “The Nearly NORML Nimbin group was formed in 1988 as the district`s first permanent drug law reform and later became Nimbin HEMP – Help End Marijuana Prohibition – later in 1992, the name was changed to Nimbin HEMP Embassy. In general, the group discussed New South Wales` cannabis laws and how they could be changed. To be considered a food ingredient, hemp seeds must contain less than 0.5% of the psychoactive ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). It is called low-THC hemp. Great story Bob, What about the hemp textile industry in Australia? seems to be growing a lot since restrictions were eased, but would like to buy hemp textiles grown and processed in Australia However, the use of industrial hemp is by no means the whole story, and this crop is incredibly versatile.

Plants can be grown for organic animal feed, for fibre, to enter paper, fabric or sound insulation in cars, and residues can be used as biofuel feedstock to power our vehicles. Hemp could even be “roasted” (roasted like coffee beans) to produce a lignite equivalent, or converted to provide essential high-value chemicals. On November 12, 2017, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) legalized low-THC hemp foods for human consumption in Australia. [4] “The new legislation removes unnecessary barriers and will promote better access to international markets for the emerging hemp and medical cannabis industries,” said federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud. “To achieve this, we need to make sure we have the right regulatory framework in place to allow exports to grow, increase productivity and increase farm gate yields.” Finally, meanwhile, there was also growing economic competition from cotton, wood and synthetic plastics. These emerging materials were a low-cost alternative produced by powerful billionaire corporations. They`ve seen hemp as a threat to their business (because it`s superior in many ways), so what better time isn`t to jump aboard anti-cannabis propaganda? The hemp plant contains tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which in high concentrations is a psychoactive or psychotropic ingredient. The first export of Australian cannabis seeds to New Zealand took place in July this year under amended legislation designed to remove burdensome regulatory barriers for the industry. Tom McCue, senior director of emerging industries at Agrifutures, said hemp is a serious option for farmers because of the diversity of its finished products for seeds and fiber. “The goal of the project is to test different varieties of hemp across the country,” says Tom.

“Increasing production of certified industrial hemp seeds will support the growth of the industry, and credible information on hemp varieties and the suitability of cultivation in Australia is key to attracting new farmers.” Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is one of the oldest cultivated plants known to man. It is also one of the most controversial. “High-hemp crops like the one we have here will produce up to 12 tonnes of biomass per hectare and provide 50 to 70 percent of the hedge for housing and about 20 percent of the bast fiber,” he explains. “There is a demand for construction products, for which I would need about 200 hectares of harvest. We no longer have any products from our farm and that is because there is no demand for bast fibre in Australia. If we can`t sell the whole stem, the numbers just aren`t enough to make it work. On 22 August 2019, the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Water Resources was mandated to examine and report on opportunities and barriers facing Australia`s primary production sectors. In December 2020, the committee made a number of recommendations, including that the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Environment “review regulations governing the cultivation and processing of industrial hemp,” the committee also recommends that “the review should include the planning of industrial hemp products by the Therapeutic Goods Administration and examine how barriers prevent producers from accessing the full value of The hemp plant, including food, fiber and nutraceuticals, can be overcome.” [66] HI – you may want to mention the WA Hemp Growers` Co-op – we are happy to inform farmers about hemp cultivation in Western Australia.

We already have 27 farmers using hemp this summer. A licensing system under the Act was introduced on 6. Launched in November 2008, it will enable the commercial production of low-THC hemp and facilitate the development of a processing, manufacturing and marketing industry in New South Wales: prior to June 2011, synthetic cannabinoids were relatively unknown in Australia. [93] However, mandatory drug testing of mining employees in Western Australia found that 1 in 10 employees had consumed compounds found in synthetic cannabinoids. [94] Their popular use, as opposed to naturally grown cannabis, was attributed to users being able to reach a “legal high”,[95] as synthetic cannabis compounds were not yet listed as illegal in the Australian Standard for Uniform Listing of Drugs and Poisons [SUSMP] – the governing body of Australia`s list of drugs. [96] Richard Kevin, Ph.D. A candidate at the University of Sydney, who studies the effects of synthetic compounds on mice, said one of the reasons people use these products is to avoid drug testing. [97] On February 24, 2016, Australia legalized the cultivation of cannabis for medical and scientific purposes at the federal level. [3] Hemp cannot be grown in New South Wales (for commercial or research purposes) without a licence from the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries.