The new campaign for hemp reform in the United Kingdom

Translated from the website The Cannabis Exchange

Volteface, a UK-based drug reform advocacy organization, has launched a new campaign to drive hemp reform in the UK. Pleasant Lands calls on the UK government to ease restrictions that have put British hemp farmers at a disadvantage to their global counterparts for decades.

Pleasant Lands - a policy solution prepared

Volteface launched the Pleasant Lands campaign to raise awareness about the state of the UK hemp industry. The 'Pleasant Lands' report - to be published in August - will present the government with a policy solution to address deficiencies in current regulations.

The campaign will be overseen by leading experts in hemp regulation and extraction. The Pleasant Lands report will draw on the experiences of UK hemp farmers and is urging stakeholders to join the reform campaign coalition.

What is hemp?

Hemp refers to plants from the Cannabis Sativa family that have low THC - the compound associated with high concentrations of Cannabis. Hemp has been associated with human cultivation for thousands of years, thanks to its potential to serve many end uses. The plant has historically been used to make clothing, weapons, for construction, and also for medicines.

However, due to the plant's association with 'marijuana' - a slang term for Cannabis with high THC content - hemp has been subject to excessively strict controls for about five decades. The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 imposed restrictions on the cultivation of all Cannabis plants - regardless of THC content.

Hemp cultivation in the United Kingdom

To cultivate hemp in the UK, farmers need to obtain a license issued by the Home Office. Guidelines require crops to be grown from strains approved by the European Union and to contain a maximum of 0.2% THC.

In recent years, global hemp cultivation has seen a massive boom, largely due to the increasing popularity of CBD products. In many countries, hemp farmers can grow the plant for use in CBD extraction, creating a significant extra revenue opportunity.

However, farmers in the UK still cannot, by law, process their plants for this purpose, despite CBD being legal in the country. Home Office regulations state that farmers can only use the seeds and fibers of the crop - which contain little to no CBD. Additionally, leaves and flowers with high CBD must be destroyed on-site to comply with cultivation rules.

We spoke with Liz McCulloch, author of the Pleasant Lands report and policy director at Volteface:

“I think if you speak to an ordinary person in the UK, they would be surprised that farmers have to destroy the most valuable part of their crop. Pleasant Lands will act as a vehicle for change, encompassing a range of expertise, experiences, and interests in hemp cultivation.”

In addition to products containing CBD extracts, CBD flowers and buds have become increasingly common in the UK. Although these products are available in retail stores and online, they are technically illegal. The leaves and flowers of the hemp plant are classified as a controlled substance, regardless of THC content.

What are the benefits of hemp reform?

The Pleasant Lands report aims to provide the government with the necessary information to make a decision on hemp reform. It is hoped that in the future, hemp farmers will be able to utilize the entire plant. Reform would allow British farmers to enter an already expanding global industry, increasing cultivation and helping to improve the environment simultaneously.

As the Coronavirus pandemic plunges the country into the worst recession in decades, liberalizing the hemp industry would help boost economic growth and green recovery. Brexit also offers an opportunity to deviate from some of the restrictive EU measures on hemp cultivation.

The environmental benefits of hemp

Industrial hemp is known to be extremely beneficial to the environment. Thanks to the plant's rapid growth, hemp is very efficient at sequestering CO2 from the environment. Additionally, it is also known to improve soil quality by reducing the presence of chemicals and toxic metals.

Parts of the plant can also be used in the production of eco-friendly products. For example, hemp paper can be recycled much more efficiently than wood paper; hemp can be used to make bioplastics that can degrade in just a few months.