Volteface has launched Pleasant Lands, a campaign to reform restrictions the British government have in place for Hemp farmers.
Volteface is a UK-based drug advocacy non-profit organisation.
The hemp industry in Britain has made some significant progress in the last number of years due to rising popularity of CBD products.
However, restrictions still impede hemp farmers and the hemp industry in the UK. The British Home Office currently prohibits the harvesting of hemp flower, restricting the harvest of stalk and seeds of the hemp plant.
Farmers in the UK are unable to cultivate hemp for the production of cannabis oil and CBD oil.
British hemp farmers must obtain an issued licence to cultivate the plant. Current guidelines require that the amount of THC be less than 0.2%.
With the proposed Hemp Reform, the plant which was grown throughout British history and played a significant part in the construction of the empire may allow farmers to use the whole hemp plant.
“This is the time to seize upon the economic potential of hemp cultivation, which global experience has shown to be significant.
-Liz McCulloch, Director of Policy at Volteface
Benefits of hemp reform for the UK
The easing of restrictions could be extremely beneficial to the United Kingdom's economy. Particularly so, due to the impending recession following the Coronavirus pandemic.
This Proposed Hemp Reform could not come at a greater time for the UK. At the moment they are beginning to distance itself from the EU's restrictive policies. This could help increase the UK's competitiveness in the global market.
If the reform is approved, UK hemp and CBD companies could process and extract their CBD from plants grown domestically.
A group who have worked on improving conditions for hemp farmers is the British Hemp Association, (BHA). One of their primary goals is to change the status of hemp from a controlled substance to an agricultural crop.
If the Home Office no longer regulated the hemp industry, the legal power would return to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. We previously interviewed Rebekah Shaman, chair and founder of the British Hemp Association about improving conditions for British hemp farmers.
