Industrial Hemp: An Old Crop in a Modern Era

Climate change and its impacts on the daily lives of billions of people require innovative actions. One potential component of such initiatives could be to advocate for and foster an industrial hemp sector, for exploitation and valorization based on a “whole plant” approach that uses all parts of the plant. Such exploitation could be achieved in most regions of the world, and the whole plant approach would help promote the establishment of various production chains. As discussed in this policy brief, industrial hemp value chains have the potential to be carbon negative and ecologically sustainable and can therefore effectively supplement strategies for sustainable development and the transition to clean energy. Practical experiences worldwide highlight the need for Governments to establish a regulatory and institutional framework supporting the exploitation of all parts of the industrial hemp plant. In this regard, the categorization of industrial hemp as an agricultural commodity subject to regulatory oversight by an agricultural department, as in many member countries of the European Union, rather than a controlled substance, as in Malawi and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, is of paramount importance.