A TAMWORTH medical marijuana champion has turned her sights to legalising hemp as food in Australia, claiming governments are advocating a “breathtaking double standard” by blacklisting it.
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Australia remains one of the last nations on earth to outlaw human consumption of hemp seed, despite Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) finding it was a health food and did not contain enough of the psychoactive ingredient to make consumers high.
Tamworth mum Lucy Haslam, who along with son Dan has helped inspire widespread national support for medical marijuana, said it was farcical a product regarded as a “super food” by experts was being blocked by politicians.
“In every other country around the world, hemp seed is seen as a ‘super food’ but in Australia and New Zealand, it is banned from human consumption,” Mrs Haslam said.
“We are apparently existing in a backwater that excludes the research from all around advanced countries of the planet.
“I buy hemp seed for Dan and he drinks it in smoothies and puts in on his meals because it is such a rich source of protein and omega 3.
“It turns out we are criminals for doing that too.”
State and commonwealth health and agriculture ministers are expected to this month vote at legalising hemp seeds as food.
NSW Agriculture Minister Katrina Hodgkinson chaired the Council of Australian Governments’ National Forum on Food Regulation last June, which deferred a decision on the issue until at least this month.
At the time, she said legalising the seed could send mixed messages to the community.
“Is this a message saying hemp is OK and marijuana is OK? There are young and impressionable minds out there,” she said.
There were also concerns around how the legalisation could impact roadside drug testing.
Police say the tests are extremely
sensitive and legal hemp seed food could burden the courts with people challenging positive results.
New England MP and federal agriculture minister Barnaby Joyce offered in-principle support for the legalisation of hemp seed as food.
“While it is not able to be used as food, industrial hemp may be used to produce fibre, feedstock, building materials, cosmetics and other non-consumable products,” he said.
“As a supporter of a diverse agricultural sector, and wanting farmers to be able to generate higher returns and add value to their crops, I can appreciate the desire of the industrial hemp industry to
diversify into food as a potential market for their produce.”
Ms Hodgkinson could not be reached for comment.
