Guyana's Parliament approves hemp cultivation

The small South American country of Guyana has passed a law on industrial hemp that decriminalizes hemp cultivation and paves the way for a licensed industry.

The Industrial Hemp Act was introduced in the National Assembly of the Parliament of Guyana in May and passed on August 8.

The new law will allow Guyana to establish a regulatory body for industrial hemp, the Guyana Industrial Hemp Regulatory Authority, which has a board of directors.

The regulatory authority will be able to issue licenses to individuals or companies to grow hemp and manufacture hemp-based products, «including food, textiles, furniture, medicines, and cosmetics,» according to the law.

Research licenses will also be permitted.

The industrial hemp is defined as cannabis and its derivatives with a THC concentration of less than 0.3 % on a dry weight basis.

Agriculture Minister Mustapha Zulfikar said he expected hemp production to be an economic asset and «a valuable source of foreign currency.».

Guyanese President Mohamed Irfaan Ali sees this as an opportunity to encourage cannabis growers to switch to hemp and to strengthen the country’s agricultural sector, which has seen a decline in key crops such as rice and sugarcane —a staple crop in French Guiana that has plummeted by more than 50% in recent years.

The government also sees a role for hemp in diversifying the Guyanese economy more broadly, while continuing to pursue the country’s low-carbon development strategy.

The legislation is available here.