FEDERATION OF INTERNATIONAL HEMP ORGANIZATIONS’ POSITION ON HEMP TERMINOLOGYBrussels, May 10, 2023 – Since the 14th century, Cannabis sativa L. and all of its many products have been called by the English common name “hemp” and similarly generalized names in other languages. Since the 20th century, countless attempts have been made to establish a reliable scientific distinction between intoxicating “high-THC” cannabis-derived products and non-intoxicating (industrial) “hemp” (lat.: Cannabis sativa L., commonly known in commercial production and trade as “hemp”) products. Industrial Hemp is now commonly employed to designate fibre and oilseed cultivars for C. sativa with very limited content of the intoxicating chemical THC.
Although “high-THC” cannabis and “hemp” industries are clearly distinct, it appears that delineating between industrial hemp (hemp) and high-THC cannabis is challenging for regulators. With this in mind, the Executive Board of the Federation of International Hemp Organizations (FIHO) adopted a position on Hemp Terminology, approved unanimously after concertation with all parties and members. With this proposed terminology, FIHO intends to help policy makers and the Hemp Community use a common language when referring to HEMP at a time when the sector is expected to grow and develop like never before. “Humankind’s global relationship with hemp spans millennia; with production and trade in a large array of hemp products, used for many purposes across time, continents, and civilizations. It is about time that we use the same language and terminology across continents to define Hemp in all its aspect!” declared Ted Haney, Board Chair of FIHO and President of the Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance. Indeed, few agricultural crops thrive in such diverse climates and provide such a wide range of uses as hemp. Hemp offers abundant opportunities for smart agriculture, climate mitigation and adaptation, resilient rural economies, and increased domestic self-reliance in food security and manufacturing. The hemp plant provides real value: its seeds provide protein- and energy-rich human foods and livestock feed ingredients; the (early harvested) leaves also provide an excellent source of plant protein and traditional ingredient for herbal tea infusions; its flowering tops provide wellness products that are in high demand by consumers worldwide; Rue du commerce 31 1000 Brussels, Belgium [email protected] 2 and, its stalks provide thousands of wide-ranging applications in textiles, paper, building materials, renewable energy, advanced composites, bioplastics and more. “With this new position on terminology, major global actors of the hemp sector show their capacity to work together and speak with one voice, we now expect policy makers to embrace this position and apply common terminology in all regions and countries of the world!” said Daniel Kruse, Vice Board Chair of the FIHO and President of the European Industrial Hemp Association. In the next period, FIHO will communicate with policy makers both at national and international level to ensure this terminology facilitates the expansion of the global market and support producers, manufacturers in their contacts and relations with their counterparts.
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