HempCyberFarm Answer 2 Australian License

Answer 2 Australian License

2. How to request a license in Australia:

Ministerial Media Statement
MINISTER FOR PRIMARY INDUSTRY
8/8/96

Eight applicants have been chosen to participate in the State's first industrial purpose Indian hemp trials, Primary Industry Minister Monty House announced today.

Mr House said the successful applicants included education institutions, farmers and private companies.

Alcoa Farmlands, Creative Land Management in association with Murdoch University, Denmark Agricultural College and farmers from Scott River, Manjimup, Carnamah, Burekup and Albany would be the
first to grow trial crops of industrial purpose Indian hemp.

The successful applicants were chosen from more than 50 applicants from throughout the State and were selected by the Hemp Industry Steering Committee.

Mr House said five hectares would be planted this September and October.

"The trial crops will explore a wide range of plant nutrient regimes, sowing times, cultivating techniques, genetic material, yields per hectare and production costs," he said. "The applicants have agreed to undertake the agronomic trials in partnership with Agriculture Western Australia over the next three
years and abide by security conditions."

Mr House said there was strong public support for testing the feasibility of very low drug content Indian hemp. "Indian hemp can be used as an alternative supplement to woodchips for paper manufacture and is already being used as an alternative fiber in clothing," he said.

"These are important trials that will help determine whether industrial purpose Indian hemp will be grown for commercial purposes in this State in the future.

"The trials will be co-ordinated by the Hemp Steering Committee and involve representatives from the Health Department and WA Police Service."

The only similarity between hemp and cannabis, which is an illegal drug, is their appearance.

The cannabis species used for drug manufacture has between three and 10 per cent TetraHydroCannabinol. (THC - the active ingredient) by weight, whereas industrial hemp has less than 0.3 per cent.

Committee chairman Murray Montgomery said applicants would be responsible for meeting the costs of planting and harvesting the hemp and the cost of testing for THC levels in the mature crop.

Mr Montgomery said hemp produced from the program would be for experimental purposes only.

Media contact: Nicole Trigwell 481 2044
Government Media Office (222 9595)
Ministry of Premier and Cabinet. Friday, 9 August 1996
All contents Copyright © 1996. All rights reserved.
URL: http://www.wa.gov.au/cabinet/mediast/dg96-33/houhemp.html

Ministerial Media Statement
MINISTER FOR PRIMARY INDUSTRY
17/4/96

Primary Industry Minister Monty House has called for expressions of interest in growing trial crops of industrial purpose Indian hemp in rural Western Australia. Mr. House said applications were sought from farmers, private companies, rural research organizations and education institutes.

The trials were recommended by a review commissioned last year by the Minister and carried out by the Hemp Industry Steering Committee. "The Hemp Industry Steering Committee has obtained a limited number of authorizations to grow industrial hemp in order to research its suitability as a commercial crop," Mr. House said.

"The trial crops will explore a wide range of plant nutrient regimes, sowing times, cultivating techniques, genetic material, yields per hectare and production costs. "Successful applicants will undertake agronomic trials in partnership with Agriculture Western Australia over the next three years."

Mr House said there was strong public support for testing the feasibility of very low drug content Indian hemp. The illicit cannabis species used for drug manufacture has between three and 10 per cent TetraHydroCannabinol. (THC - the active ingredient) by weight whereas industrial hemp has less than 0.3 per cent.

"These are important trials as they will help determine whether industrial purpose Indian hemp will be grown for commercial purposes in the future," Mr House said.

"The trials will be co-ordinated by the committee and involve representatives from the Health Department and WA Police Service."

Committee chairman Murray Montgomery MLC said applicants must be prepared to meet the costs of planting and harvesting the hemp and the cost of testing for THC (TetraHydroCannabinol.) levels in the
mature crop.

He said the trials would be conducted under strict security measures and hemp produced from this program would be for experimental purposes only.

Applications close on May 15 (but HCF thinks this was last years news) and application forms are available from: Hon Murray Montgomery, MLC, Chairman, Industrial Hemp Steering Committee The Link Shopping Center, Aberdeen Street,
Albany WA 6330

Media contact: Nicole Trigwell 481 2044, 0411 470 831 Committee chairman, Murray Montgomery 098 417 999

Government Media Office (222 9595)
Ministry of Premier and Cabinet. Thursday, 18 April 1996
All contents Copyright © 1996. All rights reserved.
URL: http://www.wa.gov.au/cabinet/mediast/dg96-17/houhemp.html

Farmers to take part in hemp growing trials
the Australian Associated Press, July 18, 1995. MELBOURNE, July 19 AAP

The Victorian government today offered farmers the dope - if they'll supply the paper. Agriculture Minister Bill McGrath today announced a trial farming project of low grade hemp (while) promising that more potent strains of the crop would be destroyed. Already more than 100 farmers have applied to take part in the growing trials.

Mr. McGrath said quality paper and fiber products could be produced from the hemp, taking pressure off the logging industry. "Hemp is a fast-growing, renewable source of fiber which is currently being investigated by the newsprint industry in Australia as an alternative source," he said. Mr. McGrath played down security concerns that the crop could be raided for its drug value, as hemp grown for fiber contained extremely low levels of the narcotic component THC (TetraHydroCannabinol.) and would be of no value to drug users.

Cannabis used for drug purposes had a THC level of three to ten percent, while the Indian hemp to be trialed had less than 0.3 percent THC. "The trials should in no way be seen as decriminalizing marijuana - we don't want to give any support to the illicit drug trade," he said. "Crops will be tested by the Forensic Science Center throughout the trial period, and if any plant exceeds 0.35 percent dry weight THC, the entire crop will be destroyed under supervision. We must avoid the possibility that trials could be used as a cover for illegal cultivation of high-THC plants."

Mr. McGrath said the hemp trials, to begin later this year, were part of the Rural Victoria 2001 program, and offered significant economic benefits. He had already received 100 submissions from farmers keen to participate in the trial crops. Applicants for permits would have to undergo police checks and provide satisfactory field site security. Other criteria would include the location of the proposed trial sites, which Mr. McGrath said he was unable to reveal. Farmers interested in applying can write to the Department of Health and Community Services, GPO Box 4057 Melbourne 3001.

Do you know more about getting licenses in Australia, England, Germany or any other country? E-mail us at Matthew@HempWorld.com

*Industrial-Hemp has no psychoactive properties following definition of the European Economic Community (EEC); THC content is less than 0.3%. In general, low THC-seed varieties without psychoactive properties are those that have a THC content of less than 1%. (See also No-THC Hemp-seed.) THC= Delta-9 TetraHydroCannabinol.