The Daily Blog (NZ) reports the following
An interview with Phil Cathelain of Syndicat Polynesien du Chanvre about Tahiti’s new law that will allow medical use, hemp, CBD, and a trial of tourist-oriented cannabis health resorts, this week on Marijuana Media on 95bFM with Chris Fowlie from NORML and Jonny from bFM Drive – thanks to The Hempstore!
We are joined in the studio by Phil Cathelain, head of Syndicat Polynesien du Chanvre (Polynesian Hemp Union), the leading cannabis law reform group of French Polynesia, based in Papeete, Tahiti.
Phil was here in Aotearoa on vacation and came on the show with a scoop: he had just been informed French Polynesia’s government had agreed to “everything we asked for”, in a new drug law that will allow medical use, local production of hemp and CBD, and an experimental trial of legalisation for adult use.
I was introduced to Phil by Karl Anihia of Tahiti Herb Culture, who had hosted me on their island paradise and introduced me to growers and other contacts there. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed each of my visits to Tahiti and F.P. They’ve got it all: beautiful island paradises, great herb, and love of reggae, great food, weather and that French je ne sais quoi.
Scoring herb there is easy. In fact, once word got around, I was getting free gifts left on the doorstep every day. But enforcement, like here, is uneven and highly discriminatory. People with French heritage rarely get arrested, but the gendarmes pick on the locals and growing pot often leads to jail.
A few years ago, Karl defiantly planted chanvre on the parliament grounds. The cannabis activist and green fairy provider was arrested. Phil heard this on the news and asked his lawyer to help get Karl out of jail. They then joined forces to form SPC, bringing together consumers and patients and – crucially, says Phil, who is himself a well-connected turf farmer – businesspeople, doctors, lawyers, the politically active and “all the top companies”.
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