On this week’s show, in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, we learn about the hemp industry in Ireland from Chris Allen, the executive director of Hemp Federation Ireland, who says that the hemp industry and supply chain are well established on the Emerald Isle, but that recent policy decisions by the Irish government have made things very difficult for farmers to make a living.
She said the agency that oversees the hemp industry seems keen on letting the powerful pharmaceutical industry take over the CBD sector, allowing farmers only to grow fiber crops.
We also talk to Jonathan Miller, chief council at the US Hemp Roundtable, about the recent influx of delta-8 THC products, which appear to have nearly the same psychoactive effect as marijuana. He says that marketing hemp as having any kind of mind-altering effect is bad news for the overall hemp industry, which has done extensive work in separating itself from the marijuana industry.
And we also hear from Hannah Smith-Brubaker from Pasa Sustainable Agriculture about an upcoming hemp information session on March 26.
Links
Hemp Federation Ireland
https://www.hempfederationireland.org/
US Hemp Roundtable
News Nuggets
Specialized harvester hopes to tap growing interest in fiber
https://hemptoday.net/specialized-harvester-hopes-to-tap-growing-interest-in-fiber/
Do Hemp Farms Stink?
https://hempgazette.com/news/hemp-farm-smell-hg1394/
Malawi: Industrial Hemp Growers Threaten Malawi Govt With Lawsuit
https://allafrica.com/stories/202103140065.html
DEA Calls Out Hemp in Latest ‘Drug Threat Assessment’ Report
https://www.hempgrower.com/article/dea-calls-out-hemp-drug-threat-assessment-report/
Arizona hemp farmers see crop losses from Pythium in drip-irrigated fields
Pasa Event: Listening Session: What’s Next for Industrial Hemp?
https://pasafarming.org/event/listening-session-whats-next-for-industrial-hemp/
Thank you to our sponsor: IND HEMP