The Guyana Hemp Association is on a mission to change the perception of hemp in Guyana as it believes that large scale production of the plant is the solution to Guyana’s impoverishment.
A member of the cannabis family, hemp is usually associated with marijuana, but unlike its counterpart, rather than being utilized for its psychoactive properties (which are significantly lower than in marijuana), it is bred to maximize fibre, seed and/oil.
A few of the over 25,000 products that can be made from hemp include cement, stucco and mortar, paper, twine, canvas, denims, vitamins, cooking oils, shampoo, solvents and lotions.
Chairman of the Association Dr Turhane Doerga, at a press conference held yesterday at the Georgetown Club, touched on the issue of poverty in Guyana, a direct result of job shortages. He stated that the industrial production of hemp can help to eradicate poverty and hunger and create thousands of sustainable jobs, with the income generated being more than five to ten times that of rice.
Hemp production, he posited, is a logical step for Guyana as it is within the league of cultivation and “What do we know best in Guyana? What we know best is agriculture.”
Doerga said that while Guyana had to create a market for rice, in the case of hemp, the market is calling out to us. Furthermore, it was stated that while surrounding territories like Suriname and Venezuela are contemplating infiltration of the market, Guyana still has time to take the lead and become the first in the hemisphere to benefit from the industry.
The major constraint to this development, however, are Guyana’s anti-narcotics laws. It was noted that the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs distinguishes between marijuana and industrial hemp and “does not constrain its signatories’ freedom to allow industrial hemp agriculture.
“As Guyana is a nation that is part of the UN and agrees with its conventions, our local legislation should reflect the global standards that we already operate with in other sectors,” the Association stated in a press release.
It was made known that President David Granger was invited by the association for talks regarding the implementation of the United Nations regulation concerning hemp production, and to seek approval for its cultivation in Guyana.
In a bid to sensitise the public on the “importance of hemp production to the country’s economy,” the Guyana Hemp Association will be holding a public consultation at 09:00 hrs on Saturday, June 11, at the Critchlow Labour College/Texila University located at Woolford Avenue. It was indicated that government officials will be present at this event.
