INDUSTRIAL HEMP ACT

Arrangement of Sections

   Section

PART I
PRELIMINARY PROVISIONS

   1.   Short title and commencement

   2.   Interpretation

PART II
LICENSING OF GROWERS, PROCESSORS, DISTRIBUTORS, BUYERS, EXPORTERS AND RESEARCHERS OF INDUSTRIAL HEMP

   3.   Licensing by Lead Agency

   4.   Prohibition from growing, processing, distributing, buying, exporting of and researching on industrial hemp without licence

   5.   Application for licence

   6.   Issuance of licence

   7.   Validity of licence

   8.   Renewal of licence

   9.   Suspension or revocation of licence

   10.   Transfer of licence

   11.   Variation of licence

   12.   Notice of change of particulars

   13.   Designation of growing, processing, distributing and buying area

   14.   Prohibition of cultivation of cannabis on land designated for industrial hemp

   15.   Import and export of industrial hemp seed

   16.   Industrial hemp seed variety

   17.   Industrial hemp seed production and multiplication

   18.   Quality control of industrial hemp

PART III
INSPECTIONS

   19.   Power of authorised officer

   20.   Obstruction of authorised officer

PART IV
GENERAL PROVISIONS

   21.   Appeals

   22.   Register

   23.   Submission of annual returns and status report

   24.   General penalty

   25.   Preferential schemes

   26.   Regulations

AN ACT

to provide for the licensing of growers, processors, distributors, buyers, exporters of and researchers on industrial hemp; provide for the production and multiplication of industrial hemp; provide for the import and export of industrial hemp; and provide for matters connected with, or incidental to, the foregoing.

[On Notice]

Act 34 of 2021.

PART I
PRELIMINARY PROVISIONS

1.   Short title and commencement

This Act may be cited as the Industrial Hemp Act, and shall come into operation on the date that the Minister may appoint by statutory instrument.

2.   Interpretation

In this Act unless the context otherwise requires-

"authorised officer" has the meaning assigned to the word in the Cannabis Act, 2021;

"Committee" has the meaning assigned to the word in the Cannabis Act, 2021;

"Lead Agency" has the meaning assigned to the word in the Cannabis Act, 2021;

"legally disqualified" means the absence of legal capacity as provided in section 4 of the Mental Health Act, 2019;

"licensed activity" means an activity authorised under a licence issued by the Agency;

"licensee" means a person issued with a licence to grow, process, distribute, buy, export or conduct research on industrial hemp under section 5; and

"industrial hemp" means a plant of cannabis and any part or derivative of that plant, including viable seed, whether growing or not with a delta-9 -tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of not more than 0.3 per cent on a dry weight basis.

PART II
LICENSING OF GROWERS, PROCESSORS, DISTRIBUTORS, BUYERS, EXPORTERS AND RESEARCHERS OF INDUSTRIAL HEMP

3.   Licensing by Lead Agency

The Lead Agency shall be responsible for the issuance of licences for the growing, processing, distribution, buying, export and conducting of research on industrial hemp under this Act.