In the British Isles, Jersey Hemp is the only farm permitted to cultivate hemp. While it’s licensed to produce CBD products, the United Kingdom government recently closed the farm down because it found trace amounts of THC in the farm’s products.

According to a BBC report, Jersey Hemp co-owners David Ryan and Blair Jones were forced to lay off half of their staff and ceased operation, and the U.K. government restricted any export of Jersey Hemp’s products. 

As a result, Jersey Hemp published a press statement on June 23 that it will be considering taking both the Home Office and U.K. Food Standards Agency to court on the issue. “Jersey Hemp, the sole licensed CBD producer in the British Isles, is considering taking legal action against the U.K. and Jersey Governments following a directive from the U.K. Home Office and the subsequent support of the Jersey Authorities to restrict the export of Jersey Hemp’s CBD Wellness products to the U.K.,” the statement explained. “This decision, which contradicts a legal opinion affirming the compliance of Jersey Hemp’s products with relevant legislation, is a clear error in both law and judgment.”

Jersey Hemp was licensed for cultivation in 2019, and has spent the last three years meeting all of the country’s requirements for compliant operation. “We’ve got to really take a step back and consider the position we find ourselves in,” said Ryan. “It’s very frustrating, pretty sad, the impact on us has been devastating.”

The company’s concern is that this decision could negatively affect the CBD industry as a whole. “If this decision is upheld, it would effectively render the entire CBD market in the UK illegal, proving detrimental to Jersey Hemp’s viability as a business,” it continued. “Consequently, Jersey Hemp has already experienced significant financial repercussions, resulting in a redundancy process impacting over 50% of its staff.”

Hemp exportation is licensed under the Misuse of Drugs (Jersey) Law 1978, which is allowed on a “shipment-by-shipment” basis, according to the BBC. A United Kingdom Home Office agency spokesperson commented on the situation. “CBD in its pure form is not a controlled drug, but if a CBD product contains THC or other controlled cannabinoids then it is likely that the product would be controlled,” the spokesperson stated.

A joint statement from Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture Kirsten Morel and Minister for Health and Social Services Karen Wilson explained that both Morel and Wilson are aware of the situation, but didn’t provide any details about what happens next. “We are aware that Jersey Hemp is in contact with HM Government with respect to exports to the UK—as a separate jurisdiction, we cannot comment on those talks and would also not speculate on their outcome,” the statement said. “All businesses that are licensed to cultivate cannabis in Jersey are responsible for making sure they comply with the relevant legislation in the jurisdiction into which they export products.”

There is evidence that U.K. citizens want to see improved access for cannabis, as well as other substances. A poll from June 2022 found that one fifth of British adults have tried CBD in the form of flower or oil, and 58% of people who participated in the survey said that they believe CBD offers health benefits. 

Separately though, the U.K. maintains control over its own territory and blocked Bermuda from following through with cannabis legalization in September 2022. 

But the future isn’t all bleak, as there is plenty of support growing for cannabis and psychedelics at the moment. In December 2022, U.K. police chiefs called out for decriminalization of cannabis for first-time drug offenders.

In April 2023, the U.K.-based University of Exeter debuted a postgraduate course on clinical psychedelics called “Psychedelics: Mind, Medicine, and Culture.” In May, Labor MP Charlotte Nichols spoke in support of psychedelic reform. “There are serious and considerable barriers to legitimate research, associated with Schedule I regulations,” said Nichols. “While current legislation does not preclude scientific research with these drugs, it does make them significantly more difficult, time-consuming and costly to study.”

In June, U.K. Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations Michael Gove openly admitted that he used cannabis in his youth, describing it as a “feature of the student experience for a lot of people.” However, he claims that he “didn’t get very high.”

The post U.K.-Based Hemp Farm Shuts Down Due to THC in CBD Products appeared first on High Times.

The post U.K.-Based Hemp Farm Shuts Down Due to THC in CBD Products appeared first on Paradise Found.

On Wednesday, Spanish authorities announced the destruction of 415,000 cannabis plants worth an estimated $108 million. Police claimed that this was a vital strike against Europe’s “largest cannabis plantation.”

Approximately 50 tons of plants were being dried in a warehouse in the rural region of Navarre. The plantation was spread over 166 acres of land. The owners are now facing criminal charges.

But here is where the story starts to get really strange.

The plants were all low THC hemp—a substance at least on the European level, which is no longer considered a “narcotic.” Even in Spain, the sale and consumption of CBD is legal.

Spanish Cultivation and Legality

This case is one of the stranger ones to hit headlines of late, precisely because it highlights the legal confusion over the status of cannabis and hemp across the E.U. However, it also goes to show why there is a dire need for not only European, but individual European country sovereign reform.

Legally, the cultivation of cannabis in Spain (including CBD) is only allowed when the cultivator is growing “industrial hemp.” Growing hemp for conversion into CBD remains a criminal offense. Indeed, Article 368 of the Spanish Criminal Code criminalizes the cultivation of cannabis when it promotes, favors, or facilitates the illegal consumption of “drugs” with a prison sentence of between 3-6 years.

However this case is a bit of a legal oddity. European law, which of course at this point Spain is out of compliance with, does not define hemp with more than .02% CBD as a narcotic. In this case, the farmer was apparently planning to export the dried plant to other countries for this extraction process.

Further, per the Kanavape case, companies are allowed to export hemp flower and low THC products across country lines for sale when legally produced in the country of origin —which would also seem to apply in this case as the farmer claimed that this is what he was doing. Apparently, even though the crop was designated as industrial hemp in Spain, the intent to export and then extract was what triggered the police action.

It will be interesting to see the development of this case.

The Dire Need for European Reform

It is precisely cases like this that underline the growing need for a regional approach to comprehensive cannabis reform. The problem seen in Spain (home, let’s not forget to non-profit cannabis clubs where high THC flower can be obtained), is one that is also showing up in other countries.

In Germany right now, importation of CBD can still result in legal action from overzealous prosecutors. In France, this was also true until the Kanavape case, which of course then went on to challenge E.U. law on the topic—and further set E.U. wide precedent that if hemp is legally produced in one member state, it can also be exported to another.

There is currently a case in Germany now pending in an attempt to bring German law into compliance with the E.U. on this matter.

This case, if properly defended, may well go on to set legal precedent about the same in Spain.

Until such matters are settled, however, working even in the CBD space in Europe remains a dangerous proposition.

It was, after all, less than a year ago that the German grocery retailer Lidl was actually raided by police in Munich for the “crime” of selling cookies and other products containing CBD.

In the Meantime…

The entire European cannabis industry is actually getting more hazardous, not less, even as reform begins to make headway in individual countries and E.U. wide policy on CBD is being set. This is even true in Holland, home of the coffeeshop, where there is a national trial underway to regulate the cultivation of cannabis, but the mayor of Amsterdam wants to ban tourists from the coffeeshops and close about two-thirds of them down.

In Germany right now, there are several hundred pending cases against legitimate businesses selling hemp—even as the new government has announced its intention to create a recreational market for high THC cannabis.

Beyond that, there are about 185,000 pending preliminary criminal proceedings across the country for recreational users who have been busted by the police for possession or even home-grow for personal consumption. These numbers also do not include patients, including those whose insurance companies have refused to cover medical cannabis despite such treatment being recommended by their doctors.

As the saying goes, it is always darkest before the dawn.

The post Spanish Police Bust ‘Europe’s Largest Cannabis Farm’—Despite Only Growing Hemp appeared first on High Times.

The post Spanish Police Bust ‘Europe’s Largest Cannabis Farm’—Despite Only Growing Hemp appeared first on Paradise Found.

A hemp farm in the United Kingdom is being honored as a sanctuary for refugees for its program to help immigrants seeking a better life. Hempen, a co-operative community focused on the benefits of hemp, was recognized as a Garden of Sanctuary by City of Sanctuary, a group working to create welcoming spaces for refugees in UK towns and cities.

Hempen’s community outreach project Growing Solidarity hosts weekly events on Tuesdays that give refugees the opportunity to be in nature and meet new friends. Participants are also taught to grow their own food, which they can do either on the farm or in their own gardens at home. 

Each Wednesday, volunteers deliver food grown on the farm to food banks operated by the Reading Refugee Support Group. Sophie Gale, co-ordinator of Growing Solidarity, said that the project was created to help refugees gain self-reliance in their new home.

“We want to develop sustainable food chains for people, going from the food bank model where they are given food to a more participatory relationship, growing something and being part of it,” Gale told the Henley Standard. “We focus on building resilience in different members of the community with nature being our foundation. People can grow things, spend time appreciating the natural world and spend time chatting and working out things about life. It’s very special.”

Lorraine Briffitt, the chair of City of Sanctuary in Reading, gave the award during a recent visit to Hempen, which is located in Goring Heath in the district of South Oxfordshire. 

“We are delighted to work with Hempen. It’s amazing to see the energy they’ve poured into becoming recognized as a garden of sanctuary,” Briffitt said. “This comes at a time when solidarity with refugees and asylum seekers is needed more than ever before. It’s inspiring to see community organizations playing their part by stepping up.”

Hempen is run as a workers co-operative producing a variety of hemp and CBD products and was the UK’s first certified organic hemp farm. Although the farm is not currently licensed to grow hemp, it works with organic hemp farmers to grow and develop their crop, which is manufactured into culinary, cosmetic and wellness products. 

“I helped found it in 2015 as a not-for-profit workers’ co-operative offering hemp solutions. Hemp products are amazing for health and amazing for the planet,” said Hempen co-founder Patrick Gillett. “The community aspect of Hempen is really important to us.”

“It gets people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to get here to come down, grow veg and be part of our community,” Gillett added.

Number of Refugees Entering UK Skyrockets

The UK has seen a spike of refugees entering the country over the past two years as people flee unrest and poverty in eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa and beyond. In 2019, less than 2,000 refugees made the often risky voyage to travel to the UK, according to a report published by the New Yorker in December. Only a year later, the number had risen to 8,417. And in the first 11 months of 2021, more than 25,000 made the trek to eke out a better living in Britain. When they finally arrive, many refugees are faced with uncertain circumstances as they begin to adapt to their new home.

“Many are traumatized and exhausted from having nowhere to go and feel belonging when they make it to the UK,” said Gale. “The project aims to offer such a space and we know that the individuals and families that we work with get a lot out of visiting the farm and spending time engaging with meaningful activities, relaxing and socializing.”

Mary, one of the refugees participating in the Growing Solidarity program, said that she was excited when she went to the farm and began making friends, including volunteers who offer rides to those who need them.

“I learned many things about agriculture that I didn’t know before. I was so happy. The staff are wonderful and kind to everyone,” said Mary. “They take us in the car to the farm and drive us back home, which means we are able to take part without spending the little that we have on transport. They also are kind and respectful and play with the kids when they come with me to the farm. We are also able to take whatever vegetables we want home with us.”

Eric, another refugee, agreed, saying, “It’s good to be in a community and learn things.”

“I’ve learnt how to make things and how to build,” he added. “It also helps to perfect the language by talking to more people.”

Growing Solidarity’s coordinator said that Hempen’s recognition as a Garden of Sanctuary “is a way to communicate with a bigger audience the importance of working with people from different backgrounds and supporting people who through no fault of their own have had to leave their homes.”

“There are complicated messages in the media about people seeking sanctuary,” added Gale. “It’s important to show our care and solidarity, and it’s quite positive, building resilience and community.”

The post UK Hemp Co-Op Honored As Refugee Sanctuary appeared first on High Times.

The post UK Hemp Co-Op Honored As Refugee Sanctuary appeared first on Paradise Found.