AFTER a brief exchange of pleasantries with Cabinet enforcer Michael Gove CBD business owner Mandy Tusz cut straight to the quick…
“Why does a non-psychoactive plant reside in the Home Office? And, why do we have to destroy hemp flowers which can be used to extract CBD oils?
The following day the British Hemp Alliance’s (BHA) Brexit-boosted hemp manifesto arrived on the doorstep of Ms Tusz’s Surrey Heath MP – Mr Gove, the former Environment Secretary.
‘The UK Hemp Manifesto; Seeding The Future For British Hemp‘ is a timely arrival as an awakening into the significant role hemp can play in a sustainable green economy gathers momentum.
BHA’s Rebekah Shaman told BusinessCann: “Mr Gove has happily accepted a copy of our manifesto, which he has taken a keen interest and says he is happy to share with his Cabinet colleagues.
“But, make no mistake, this is just the beginning of a renewed push to make the UK’s politicians and decision-makers aware of hemp’s massive potential, not only as as agricultural crop, but as a low-carbon alternative across swathes of the industrial landscape.
“In Europe, efforts to curtail the hemp and CBD industries are well underway and the UK’s Brexit could not be more timely.
“It now affords the UK an opportunity to become the leading European innovator in the whole hemp space and position the country to the fore in the creation of global, green economic revolution.”
Automotive And Aerospace Industries
The BHA spring out of the British Hemp Association and represents the interests of British hemp farmers and businesses.
The manifesto highlights the role hemp can play in building sustainable rural and bio-economies; the fast-growing Hemp plant sequestrates up to 15 tonnes of carbon dioxide per hectare.
Hemp fibre can replace many carbon-intensive construction materials, and hempcrete is one of the most effective zero-carbon construction aids.
It highlights how hemp is a ‘strong, lightweight material that can be used for the automotive and aerospace industries’. It was previously used in some early generation Ford cars and is currently used in some German motors.
However, an era of prohibition from the 1930s onwards saw hemp cultivation decline significantly across the globe.
In order to bring about this change the manifesto is strident on policy options. It call for the removal of hemp, as a controlled substance, from the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act.
It says hemp rules should be determined by DEFRA – the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – rather than the Home Office, it calls for a lifting on the ban on the use of flowers and seeds and the raising of the minimum THC seed content limit to 1.0% from 0.2%.
‘Green’ Economic Recovery
Ms Shaman added: “We are also asking that the government dedicate a proportion of the green jobs plan, promised by Chancellor Rishi Sunak in his Green Jobs Summer 2020 Statement, to the hemp industry.
“A robust, thriving UK hemp industry can kickstart a new green industrial and manufacturing revolution, support the struggling rural economy, and help to seed a brighter, more prosperous future for British farmers, processors, distributors, retailers, and customers.”
Ms Tusz uses CBD to ease pains as a result of a degenerative disc disease which sees her confined to a wheelchair for much of the time.
She also has her own CBD business, Big Chief Hemp, although it was not her first choice. “The point of my telephone conversation with Mr Gove is that I do not really want to sell CBD oils, I want to be a hemp farmer.
“But I discovered that that is impossible in this country, for CBD, as we have to have destroy the leaves and the flowers.
“Mr Gove, please help me to put Britain back on the map with a superb Industry and help us thrive again!”
BusinessCann recently reported on £30m plans to build the UK’s largest hemp processing facility as the commercial opportunities available from the hemp plant become increasingly apparent.
BuisnessCann has contacted Minister for the Cabinet Office Mr Gove’s Westminster office and is awaiting its response. For a copy the of the BHA hemp manifesto click here.
