by
Paul
Benhaimwithin the plant. There are many terpenoids in hemp, but only one
that is psychoactive – Tetrahydracanibinol, more commonly known
as THC. At the time of writing, the European Union’s acceptable
level of THC for commercial hemp is 0.3% (being proposed as
0.2% for 2001). If the level is found to be greater, then the farmer
is liable to destroy the crop or face prosecution under drug laws
which may include imprisonment.
Although some of the crop looks and smells similar to the
illegally frown crops (hemp grown for seed is now one meter
instead of five meters high, with a new name not being related to
marijuana – Finola, closer to a well-known corn oil), it is of no use
for anything expect commercial purposes.
Presently, hemp farmers must apply for a license to grow
hemp, and the licensing procedure involves stating the strains
being grown, the source of the seed and the intended use for the
crop. Legally binding contracts must be formed in advance to
ensure the end use is met by obligations set out to farmer. Further
stipulations include where the crops is grown. For example, it is
not thought to be practical at this time to grow hemp in a place
easily visible to the public, although some strains you could not tell
from any other crop unless you were really looking. As the system
stands now, it takes away any temptation for the ‘cowboys’ to
plant illegal varieties anywhere including in between the
commercial crop. Even if this happened, due to different growing
properties between crops, the farmer would notice if a patch of his
land had been tampered with and the offending crop would be
destroyed, being of no use to them. Some Australian colleagues
expect low THC pollen from industrial hemp fields will inundate all
high THC strains in its path resulting in their contamination,
effectively negating all efforts to maintain high THC selection by
breeding. A bonus for those authorities trying to separate at all
costs industrial and recreational forms of cannabis.
Only time and a continuing education campaign by
organizations such as the Hemp Food Industries Association shall
ensure any such potentially damaging situations are no longer