Fiji intends to take a hemp-only approach to cannabis, Attorney General and Minister for Economy Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum has told the country’s parliament.
The government said it has already started a study aimed at developing hemp as an agricultural crop throughout the archipelago under funding in the 2021-2022 budget.
Sayed-Khaiyum said the strategy specifically does not include growing high-THC recreational marijuana or cannabis for medicinal purposes. Rather, the program will focus on producing products from hemp fiber, such as rope, and seed for food.
The government hopes development of a hemp sector can eventually replace a fast-growing trade in illicit marijuana, Sayed-Khaiyum said. The Fiji Police Force in 2020 seized marijuana plants with an estimated street value of more than $321 million. That’s up from $68 million in 2018
Read more at https://hemptoday.net