Ms Chris Allen:

The European Court of Justice in November 2020 determined that no independent scientific research shows any effect whatsoever from THC at a level of 0.2% in hemp and foods. It has also stated that governments can only ban this crop in certain circumstances. It would only be legal for Ireland to do what it has done with this crop if it were able to show there is some danger in a 0.2% level of THC. The World Health Organization, WHO, and the WHO Expert Committee on Drug Dependence, ECDD, which advises the World Health Organization on policy concerning narcotic substances and the operation of the UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, have stated there is no safety concern regarding any product with a 0.2% THC level. Indeed, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland has stated it has no concern about any product that can possibly be made from the EU-compliant hemp crop. The issue in Ireland is this new interpretation of the misuse of drugs laws. Clearly from the presentation I gave the committee and from the Oireachtas record of the Joint Committee on Health, the Department of Health's policymakers in 2017 did not consider this crop to be in any way a narcotic drug. Ireland is regulating this farming industry outside the provisions of EU laws that it helped to establish. There are no safety concerns whatsoever. I can send the committee the details of the World Health Organization's studies and constant advice to national governments.