Legalise hemp, not marijuana

Johnathan Smith, Lami I wish to refer to the Attorney-General’s comment on legalising cannabis.

We do not and should not be legalising the marijuana strain of cannabis, but instead we should legalise the hemp strain of cannabis.

How do we tell the difference? Hemp grows wild and is a tall thin tree (up to 20ft) with no buds and the leaves are thin and skinny. Marijuana is a short bushy shrub with buds and the leaves are thicker and needs a more controlled environment and has 5-35% THC (the chemical that gets you high).

You can’t get high from hemp no matter how much you smoke it. Hemp on the hand can replace our flailing sugar industry as it is easier to plant and manage and grows quicker than sugar cane with less maintenance.

The products that can be made out of hemp, include textiles, paper, fuel, plant based biodegradable plastics, medication etc. Can you imagine our exports and GDP growth? Our garment industry would skyrocket with the manufacture and export of hemp clothing. I say legalise hemp and let’s get our economy back up to where it should be.