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Holistic highland Hemp explain why the UK should be a leader in hemp production

The EU recently raised the permitted THC level in hemp cultivation from 0.2 per cent to 0.3 per cent

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Holistic Highland Hemp explains how it’s time for the UK to become a global leader in hemp production by setting a new limit of 1 per cent.

The EU recently raised the permitted THC level in hemp cultivation from 0.2 per cent to 0.3 per cent, it’s time for the UK to become a global leader in hemp production with a new limit of 1 per cent to increase genetic diversity and accommodate rising temperatures and droughts which are known to increase THC concentrations in the field.

Poor soil, which is often an issue after conventional agricultural practices, along with inadequate levels of potassium, has been shown to increase THC content in hemp.

The idea of ‘removing’ a hemp variety from the agricultural catalogue because of yearly fluctuations in THC should be a thing of the past. Based on the Swiss model where all cannabis varieties under 1 per cent THC are exempt from controlled drug regulations, the UK could go one further by registering new plant varieties up to 1 per cent for industrial hemp use.

It could lead the way on plant innovation and being ahead to export as other countries eventually raise their limits and 1 per cent becomes the global standard.

Many of the approved EU hemp varieties which are considered less than 0.2 per cent THC, often produce readings over 0.2 per cent. A discrepancy in EU regulation between the way monoecious and dioecious plants are to be analysed favours monoecious varieties.

Previous analysis of Finola, a dioecious variety commonly grown for seed production in the UK, showed an average of 0.36 per cent THC in the UK, 0.32 per cent in Finland and 0.40 per cent in Sweden. Finola notes that the unusually hot and dry weather was responsible for the increased THC level that year.

Another interesting data point in the yearly fluctuations of THC content comes from the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia where 10 varieties of EU hemp were grown for 2 consecutive years in research conditions to study cannabinoid production. In variety Monoica, the THC content more than doubled between 2017 to 2018 while the CBD level remained relatively stable.

The variety Tisza tested at 0.27 per cent THC one year followed by 0.10 per cent the following next, while variety Antal went from 0.35 per cent THC up to 0.63 per cent in the same period.

It’s interesting to note the CBD concentrations did not vary in proportion to the change in THC content.

European levels

Italy previously raised its permitted level to 0.6 per cent to accommodate these fluctuations. With the development of seedless female hemp flowers up to 0.6 per cent is available for sale on the Italian market, known as ‘cannabis light.’

A 2016 study involving the University of York brought up some interesting data. Using a unique and high-frequency dataset on monthly sales of drugs and the location of ‘light cannabis’ retailers, it was found that ‘local market accessibility of light cannabis led to a reduction in dispensed packets of opioids, anxiolytics, sedatives, anti-migraines, anti-epileptics and, anti-depressives and anti-psychotics.’

Another study involving the University of York showed that the availability of ‘cannabis light’ in Italy had removed at least 160 to 200 million Euros per year in revenue from criminal organisations.

Last year a study was carried out in Serbia to compare the difference between 9 samples of ‘wild hemp’, 13 EU registered hemp varieties and 1 unregistered ‘high CBD’ hemp variety from the US.

Wild hemp is found growing like a weed in Serbia, in ditches and on agricultural land where hemp hasn’t been cultivated for the last 30 years, but where hemp processing factories or hempseed storage facilities operated some 40 years prior.

The study found that the antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of wild hemp was superior to that of the EU registered cultivars. One of the wild hemp varieties also had the highest CBD percentage in essential oil, and the THC concentrations were ‘significantly higher in the essential oil of wild hemp accessions,’ with up to 3.4 per cent being recorded.

The UK has a unique opportunity to become a global hemp leader and inspire other countries to follow suit. To promote genetic diversity, ease the undue regulatory burden on all in the industry and facilitate the development of a world-class hemp industry its time that the UK raised the hemp limit to 1 per cent THC, along with permitting the harvesting and sale of hemp flowers, and hemp products containing up to 1 per cent THC.

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