The European Union may soon raise the legal limit for THC in approved hemp varieties from 0.2% to 0.3%, after the European Parliament's Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development recently approved a set of proposals for post-2020 reforms of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
The CAP implements a system of agricultural subsidies and other support programmes for the Member States. Since its launch in 1962, the programme has undergone continuous reforms and now also includes rural development.
Raising the permitted THC content in EU-grown hemp varieties from 0.2 percent to 0.3 percent would return the EU to the limit that was in place until 1999. While some had called for a full one percent increase in THC, perhaps a smaller incremental increase was always more likely to be popular.
The rules may come into effect in 2021
The changes still need to be approved by the EU Parliament and the EU Council, but if all goes well, the change would enter into force at the beginning of January 2021.
“It represents a significant step forward for the industry. EIHA worked hard to secure a positive vote,” EIHA Executive Director Lorenza Romanese told HempToday.
Hemp varieties are limited
In January, Romanese told HempToday that current restrictions on THC levels “limit the range available to European growers.” There are currently about 60 varieties available, but he believes that increasing THC levels will significantly expand the list.
Although there are still hurdles to overcome in the task of raising the THC limit in Europe, Romanese is quite confident “because now EIHA knows we have MEPs we can trust.”
Original article: https://hemptoday.net/boost-eu-thc-limit/
