The European Parliament has voted to increase the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) level of hemp in the field from 0.2% to 0.3%, according to a press release from the European Industrial Hemp Association (EIHA).
It will now take negotiations with the European Commission and the Council of the European Union to alter the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the EU, which is made up of 27 European countries.
In 1999, the EU set the hemp THC limit at 0.2%, according to New Frontier Data (NFD). From 1976 until that year, the ceiling was 0.3%, said the data company, referencing EIHA. About a quarter of the world’s hemp is grown in Europe, according to NFD.
Parliament also voted in favor “of the possibility to establish marketing standards for hemp,” according to the release. “Marketing standards encompasses sales descriptions, classification criteria, presentation, labelling, packaging, product characteristics, specific substances used and farming methods, among others,” it stated.
Daniel Kruse, EIHA president, said in a statement included in the release: “The vote of the Parliament reflects a renewed approach of our society to this wonderful plant that has the potential of decarbonising many different manufacturing sectors and provide farmers with a consistent and green source of revenues.”
