« In the European Union, one must respect one microgram per kilo of body weight, against seven in Switzerland. This tolerance does not however have an intoxicating effect. Nobody in Switzerland has ever suffered because of ‘a bread produced with hemp flour. This is a very safe bet that Europe should follow. »
Lorenza Romanese, director of the European Industrial Hemp Association
What if hemp was the plant of the future? The UN Conference for Trade and Development (UNCTAD) brought together industry players and representatives of States interested in this plant with multiple virtues on Wednesday in Geneva, reports RTS.*
The United Nations is convinced that legal cannabis is one of the keys to sustainable development. Largely under-exploited, its virtues are nevertheless numerous. This superfood grows easily, enriches the soil and is a super ecological textile fiber. Its cultivation requires, for example, 70% less water than cotton and almost no pesticides.*
Hemp can also be used for the manufacture of ecological building material. In this respect, France is a pioneer. “Thirty years ago, France was the first to develop a construction system based on the use of lime mixed with a part of hemp”, explains in La Matinale Pascal Mortoire, member of the French umbrella organization of hemps. *
He develops: “The shiv, the woody part of hemp which contains lignin, has several interesting properties. It is in particular a perfect insulator. It makes an absolutely incredible construction and insulation material, which resists fire, which allows use in all rooms. This allows the use of far fewer petroleum-based products.*
Exploited massively in the past*
Despite all these qualities, hemp is hardly cultivated. “The area at the global level dedicated to the cultivation of legal hemp corresponds to less than 0.02% of cultivated areas. There is therefore potential”, explains Marco Fugazza, economist at UNCTAD.*
However, hemp has not always been shunned so much. For centuries, until the 1940s, it was exploited massively in Europe, before being abandoned.*
“We substituted natural fibers with synthetic fibers – a synthetic derivative of petroleum – which came mostly from the United States,” explains Lorenza Romanese, director of the European Industrial Hemp Association.*
She explains that the plant has also fallen victim to its bad reputation: “Hemp ended up in the same basket as high-THC cannabis, and it was demonized. It all came from the United States, with a decision of Congress in 1937 to banish the entire botanical category of Cannabis sativa L.”*
The climatic argument should, however, favor its return to grace. “A hectare of classic hemp succeeds in trapping more carbon in five or six months than a hectare of primary forest. It’s absolutely incredible, it sequesters between ten and fourteen tons of carbon per year, and that without the use of pesticides and with very little fertiliser”, enthuses Pascal Mortoire.*
Legislative barriers*
Now, the ball is more than ever in the legislators’ court. Hemp cultivation suffers from numerous legal barriers, particularly in the European Union. Switzerland is a model student for some of its applications.*
“In terms of food, Switzerland is very advanced. It allows a much higher content of THC in foods, such as flour, products derived from the seed and hemp oil”, lists Lorenza Romanese.*
And to conclude: “In the European Union, one must respect one microgram per kilo of body weight, against seven in Switzerland. This tolerance does not however have an intoxicating effect. Nobody in Switzerland has ever suffered because of ‘a bread produced with hemp flour. This is a very safe bet that Europe should follow”.*
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*** ndlr. : –.
