National Industrial Hemp Fibre and Grain Variety Evaluation
Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance
To evaluate industrial hemp varieties for grain, fibre and cannabinoid content for the National Industrial Hemp Variety Evaluation Trial
Results for the 2019 will be made available through the CHTA website and shared on the Diversification Centres website when available.
The industrial hemp industry has developed around grain and fibre use. With changes to Canadian legislation around industrial hemp in 2018, the CHTA trials enhanced their protocols around cannabinoid testing. There were a number of new developments in Canadian legislation in 2018 which very directly affected Canadian hemp growers. The CHTA website outlines these new developments, specifically the changes in Cannabis legislation as well as Health Canada’s revision of Section 56 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA). These changes now allow hemp farmers to immediately collect and store industrial hemp flower, bud and leaf material, a vital piece that was previously prohibited. However, ongoing debate continues to discuss how to classify hemp cannabinoids in relation to the better known recreational cannabis and whether to classify and regulate it as a medical drug. CHTA and Canadian Health Food Association continue to call on the Canadian government to improve the legislation in to allow Hemp cannabinoids to legally fill the gap that illegal sources are currently filling. Figure 1 shows the trichomes on leaf and bud material.