The Polish government is providing government incentives to the domestic hemp industry, but the domestic Agency for Restructuring and Modernization of Agriculture (ARiMR) which supports such efforts reduced the amount of money allocated for this activity on the basis that the hemp grown had a level of THC that is forbidden.
As a result, hemp fields in cultivation for 2021 numbered just 2,300 hectares, down from 3,600 in 2020 as subsidies have been blocked for the FINOLA oilseed variety (the most popular crop). The Finnish-based FINOLA is fighting back against this decision as well as the European Commission’s Standing Committee on Plants, Animals and Feed after the EU level agency issued a decision in late July allowing Poland to prohibit the marketing of its seeds.
There is an ongoing battle right now at the European level – namely about how and whether to proceed on a previous decision that CBD was not a narcotic, or take a giant step back and reverse its earlier decision. This hemming and hawing on a regional level is absolutely at play in Poland – particularly because the EC has already signed off on allowing a regional increase of THC from 0.2 – 0.3%.
However, the domestic government’s stance on the issue creates yet another snag in the pipeline – namely that a regional body and one country in the region (Finland) have already proceeded with the understanding that a higher level of THC would be allowed – and a local one dug in its heels on standing precedent. This kind of whipsaw is of course not limited to either Poland or hemp. Much of the battle for legalization reform over the next few years will absolutely be to create regional standards and then get these clearly implemented in individual countries.
Read the complete article at internationalcbc.com
