In late October, the European Parliament voted to raise the THC limit for industrial hemp from 0.2% to 0.3%. Back in 1984, the standard for a European THC limit in industrial hemp was set at 0.5%. That limit was reduced to 0.3% in the 1970s and reduced even further to 0.2% in 1999. The original goal of the 0.2% limit was to prevent high-THC marijuana from being grown in low-THC industrial hemp fields.
However, in the 20 years since the limit was set, hemp farmers in Europe have been pushing for it to be raised, arguing that the limit reduces the number of strains they can use. Amendment 8 & 93, which raises the limit state, “As regards the areas used for the production of hemp, in order to preserve public health and to ensure the coherence with other bodies of legislation, the use of hemp seeds varieties with tetrahydrocannabinol content below 0.3% should be part of the definition of eligible hectare.”
These amendments were passed alongside Amendment 234, which adds hemp to the sectors covered by EU marketing standards so that eventually products could be graded according to appearance, consistency, characteristics and restrictions. Parliament’s vote to increase the limit to 0.3%, bringing it in line with the THC limits used in the Americas, has been met with applause from hemp activists.
“The increase of THC level would allow new varieties to enter the market and to be bred, resulting in a better adaptation of the crops to the climatic conditions of the different EU territories,” the European Industrial Hemp Association said in a statement.
Now that the European Parliament has approved the amendment increasing the THC limit to 0.3%, a few more steps are required before that legislation can take effect. Although advocates and players in the hemp industry have met the news with praise, some wonder whether the amendment will actually become effective. Parliament’s vote only establishes its opinion on the Common Agricultural Policy Reform proposal. For the amendment to actually go into effect, it has to be approved by two more bodies: The Council of the European Union and the European Commission.
These three bodies are set to begin negotiations on the agricultural policies in mid-November, only a couple of weeks away. At this point, any outcome is possible.
One interesting company you should watch in the cannabis sector is Pure Extracts Technologies Corp. (CSE: PULL). The firm focuses on extracting plant compounds, especially marijuana compounds. Recently the company added a new functional mushrooms vertical to its operations.
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