Ireland is undergoing a hemp awakening with the number of cultivation applications soaring dramatically.

The Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) received 77 licence applications by July 2019, compared to 24 for the whole of 2018 and just seven in 2016, reports the Irish Mirror. It says there are now almost 1,000 acres registered for cultivating crops of hemp and this is expected to rise to as much as 5,000 acres.

Ireland is set for an explosion of cannabis crops after the numbers seeking a licence to grow hemp more than tripled in just six months.

The Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) received 77 licence applications by July 2019 compared to 24 for the whole of 2018 and just seven in 2016.

There are now almost 1,000 acres registered for cultivating crops of hemp, a form of cannabis, and this is expected to rise to as much as 5,000 acres.

Industry expert Kaya O’Riordan of CB1 Botanicals told a Teagasc conference that hemp could provide a lifeline for rural Ireland and create over 80,000 jobs.

She said we have a “very suitable soil and climate” for cultivating the hardy crops and should exploit this as the industry is set to explode globally.

It is inevitable that cannabis will be legalised in Ireland in the coming years. It may take five years or even longer for the prohibition to be fully lifted but it is an utter fallacy to suggest this country will resist the inexorable trend that has taken hold in the United States, Canada, Spain and other western countries.

Legalisation is coming, no matter what Irish policymakers may say about the prospect now.

Doctors and campaigners and those who work in criminal justice will argue it out. But they are not the only ones driving the agenda. Once blue-chip international capital begins swirling around an issue – and this has already begun here – the die is basically cast.

Irish officials announced on Aug. 2 that the nation would be taking a public health approach to first and second offenses for the simple possession of small amounts of drugs.

The plan was announced late last week by Minister for Health Simon Harris, Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan and Minister of State Catherine Byrne. Byrne is also responsible for the nation’s national drug strategy. While the three didn’t completely see eye to eye on the details, they announced approval to develop a health-led approach.

To understand the plight of Ireland’s family farmers, consider:

• Just 13% of small Irish farms are operated on a full time basis.

• More than one third of small farms in Ireland have a standard output of €8,000 or less per annum.

• 38% of small farmers state that farming is their sole income.

• The average age of farmers in Ireland is 67 years old, while only 7% of Irish farmers are under 35.

With indicators like those, from a TEAGASC national farm survey, one would imagine that our political establishment would be welcoming hemp and its advocates with open arms. Alas the opposite seems to be the case.

THE FOOD SAFETY Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has recalled a batch of CBD oil after discovering that it contains the psychoactive compound in cannabis.

The authority has recalled 10ml bottles of extra strong Euphoria Full spectrum Oil, which has been imported from the Netherlands and has a ‘best before’ date of 31 August 2020, after finding it contains Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

CBD, or cannabidiol, is a chemical constituent of the cannabis plant, and products based on it can be legally sold in Ireland.

The compound does not produce the same psychoactive effects that THC produces, so it does not get users high in the manner associated with the recreational use of cannabis.

An Independent TD (or Teachta Dála, a member of the lower house of Irish Parliament) is calling for approval for a new plan in which wetland owned by a semi-State company, Bord na Mona would be re-purposed to cultivate medical cannabis.

Under the new plan, Ireland will be “sowing weed instead of pulling weeds,” according to TD Michael Fitzmaurice, The Sun reports.

Discover how GreenLight Pharmaceuticals Ltd is aiming to advance clinical research, access and education regarding medical cannabis in Europe.

Established in 2014, GreenLight Pharmaceuticals Ltd is an Irish biopharmaceutical company focused on developing safe and effective plant-based medicines. GreenLight specialises in phytocannabinoid research and clinical development. The company is based in Dublin but has recently created a UK based subsidiary and has plans to expand its world of medical cannabis in Europe.

When Health Minister Simon Harris recently signed legislation to allow for the operation of the Medical Cannabis Access Programme on a five-year pilot basis, he opened the door wider for an emerging sector which has significant potential to create jobs and a new revenue stream for the Government’s coffers.

The programme has taken two years to establish, mainly due to difficulties in sourcing a suitable supplier of cannabis with the required quality assurances for export into Ireland.

While this outside supplier will cater to the immediate needs of the sector, the legislation does allow for potential local producers to apply to have their cannabis products assessed for suitability.

As the debate around the positive benefits of medical cannabis now touches most corners of the globe, few things have had as major an impact in getting the conversation this far as parents telling the stories of their children living a better quality of life thanks to cannabis.