NZ Hemp Industries Association Inc

Public Newsletter for March 2018

In this issue:

• The Medicinal Cannabis Bill – Submissions close 21 March 2018 – 9 Days to go

• Hemp Summit, July 5 &6 th 2018

• Enabling the industry

• A petition requiring support & recent iHemp articles 

The NZHIA encourages you to make a submission on the Misuse of Drugs Act (Medicinal Cannabis) Amendment Bill.

For further information on how to make a submission and what to include please visit our websiteNZHIA.com

This is a very important issue to many industry participants and we encourage you to make sure your voice is heard on this topic.

When making a submission it is important to stress that the Medicines Bill should not impact on the Industrial Hemp Regulations 2006.

It should be noted, that if you have some personal experiences of the efficacy of Medicinal Cannabis as a patient, carer, family member, physician.  It would be useful for the Select Committee to hear, as they may not know much about the range of patients it helps, how it benefits them and how it is currently used, in an illegal unregulated environment.

We all need to encourage other people/organisations (patients, carers and medical professionals) to make a submission and make their comments and recommendations count.

Hon Dr David Clark – press release 20 December 2017

The Misuse of Drugs Amendment Bill being introduced today will:
•    Introduce a medicinal cannabis scheme to enable access to quality products
•    Introduce a statutory defence for terminally ill people to possess and use illicit cannabis
•    Remove cannabidiol from the schedule of controlled drugs

“In time, this legislation will result in a greater supply of quality medicinal cannabis, including products made here in New Zealand.

“However, there will be people who can’t wait. So as an interim measure the legislation will create a legal defence for possession and use of illicit cannabis for people who are expected by their doctors to be in their last year of life. This does not make it legal for the terminally ill to use cannabis, but it means that they will not be criminalised for doing so.

“New Zealanders are a compassionate people. Medicinal cannabis products can help ease suffering and we should make it easier for people to get them.”

The Hemp Collective – Hastings 2018 facebook.com/hempcollectiveltdnz,
instagram.com/hempcollectiveltd         www.hempcollective.co.nz

The First New Zealand – iHemp Summit – 5th to 6th July, Palmerston North.

Thank you for the positive response from our hold the date email we have sent to you all.

We are planning a world class event and need you to be involved.

The event will cover a range of topics relevant to the iHemp industry, from people that have “been there and done that” the outcome will be a R&D road map and vision for our future industry.  We will be raising awareness of the road blocks and how to overcome them.

We will be sending more publicity from www.hempsummit.nz over the next few weeks

Please pass this on to people in your networks who should be aware of iHemp and the event.

If you Cc admin@hempsummit.nz on your emails and we will follow up

Hemp Collective – Hastings 2018

Enabling Primary Industry

At the Australian Industries Association convention in Geelong last month, there were Agriculture Ministers and Regulators present, in the audience and presenting.

The Agricultural Ministers were very supportive and eager to help enable and facilitate the industry.

Government support has been incredible compared to us in New Zealand.

There seed industry scaled up over the summer season and is set to supply much of the local demand for food products, having had access to this market since November last year.

While we have to wait until maybe October to hear when we can sell hemp foods for humans

These are all examples of how a supportive government can enable primary industry.

The current coalition government is in a prime position to make this happen and allow our NEW industry to grow, with sustainable and positive benefits for our farms, rural communities, manufacturing, food, technology and many other sectors of the economy.

all based on the growing and production of a wide range of goods and services for local and international markets.

iHemp ticks all the right boxes and such a positive industry needs to be enabled as was the intent of our iHemp regulations 2006.

Hemp Collective 2018 – Bees enjoying the pollen from the male flower

A Petition requiring support

Raising publicity is always hard to do for any new industry,  Chris Woodney from NZ Hemp Brokers, has created an online petition to highlight some issues we face and how the government need to “enable” our industry as per the object of the industrial hemp Regulations 2006.

With 6,000 signatures so far, it shows great support for our industry. Please consider signing the petition at Change.org

Hemp is not a Drug Remove industrial Hemp from the Misuse of drugs act MoDA 1977

Recent iHemp articles

11 Mar 2018 – Kiwi Innovation can make us world leaders in medicinal cannabis
21 Feb 2018 – Law changes may triple hemp plantings
11 Mar 2018 – Medical marijuana a “billion dollar industry” says exporter who employs staff with a past
23 Feb 2018 – $160M Kiwi cannabis export deal to US
2 Feb 2018 – Medicinal cannabis centre set to open in West Auckland
26 Jan 2018 – New Zealand’s only cannabis company plans to crowdfund for clinical trials

And one not so recent – but very relevant 
 3 March 2016 – New Zealand urged to grow cannabis for medicinal pur