Local newspeper The Advocate reports…
The Tasmanian Hemp Association wants hemp to lose its narcotic status in legislation and is lobbying Federal and State politicians to support change at its annual general meeting.
This could allow Tasmanian growers, business and the wider community to take advantage of the myriad of opportunities relating to the industrial hemp plant.
The association will be lobbying Liberal senator Eric Abetz, Labor senator Anne Urquhart, Green senator Peter Whish-Wilson, along with state party leaders and other elected representatives on Friday.
THA president Tim Schmidt said one of the key messages is the need for legislative change at a Federal level, particularly regarding the legal status of cannabinoids which are found in the plant, and which includes cannabidiol (CBD) a chemical increasingly being used for childhood epilepsy, anxiety and pain relief.
“To grow and produce CBD hemp in Australia you work under the same kind of regulations and restrictions that exist for THC (psychoactive) hemp…The association is trying to put a huge gap between medicinal marijuana and industrial hemp,” Mr Schmidt said.
“At the moment the Office of Drug Control are looking to reschedule from a Schedule 4 prescription drug to a Schedule 3 drug which can be bought over the counter at pharmacy. We want it descheduled altogether,” he said.
“This is a herb, it is similar to echinacea, it is not a psychoactive product.”
Read full article at. https://www.theadvocate.com.au/story/6886319/hemp-industry-wants-political-support/?cs=87
