Canadian hemp growers are pushing Health Canada to recognize their plant as a beneficial natural health product. At the annual meeting of the Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance, members voted to push for a health claim on food products.
Like marijuana, hemp is part of the cannabis plant family, and is grown for industrial purposes such as food, fibre and fuel.
Canada’s hemp oil products contain less than 10 parts per million of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the ingredient’s psychoactive component. Additionally, it carries high levels of omega fatty acids and other chemicals, some of which are showing potential as antidepressants.
“Canadian farmers are suffering because they are missing out on a traditional revenue stream that other farmers in other jurisdictions are gaining,” says Sara Zborovski, a lawyer who works with companies seeking approval from Health Canada for food products. As such, a health claim rating could be extremely profitable for hemp farmers.
Zborovski adds that it would have to be made clear that hemp products are not the same as medical marijuana. Instead, the claim must focus on hemp oil and other byproducts.
Work on a proposal for Health Canada could start by February.
