Councils around Tasmania, Australia are pushing for industrial and medical cannabis in a bid to drive jobs growth in regional areas. Farmers have been trying to grow industrial hemp for fibre for years, but have struggled with regulatory hurdles. The State Government recently rejected a medical cannabis growing trial, citing concerns about safety and social harm. Tasmanias unemployment rate stands at 7.5 per cent, in trend terms, compared to 6 per cent nationally. In recent years, contraction in Tasmanias traditional industrial powerhouses of forestry and mining have hit hard in regional areas, and that has flowed on to contractors and businesses that rely on them. Now councils are turning to the potential that industrial and medical cannabis may hold as a value-added crop. Last month, Minister for Primary Industries Jeremy Rockliff pledged to make the establishment of a hemp industry in Tasmania a priority. Mr Rockliff said there was far too much regulation associated with growing hemp, more so than with the pharmaceutical poppy industry. Where government ... needs to play a role is reducing the red tape around that so were not creating any disincentives for people to come into the industry and explore the industry its in the developmental stage ... but theres a huge opportunity there in my view, he said. (Cannabis industry: Tasmanian councils look to hemp to boost jobs Abc.net.au via Cannabis Club Australia)
Posted on: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 06:37:48 +0000
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