Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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452. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if businesses selling hemp products are excluded from the range of Covid-19 business grants available through Enterprise Ireland; if so, the reason for such an exclusion; if she will reconsider the eligibility for the grant in view of the fact these companies are also negatively affected by Covid-19; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7986/20]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I understand that Enterprise Ireland is currently not in a position to support companies active in the area of cannabis-based products. Enterprise Ireland’s position is based on the fact that products containing any trace of THC are considered as a controlled drug in Ireland under the Misuse of Drugs Orders.

Currently, there is no lower limit of THC permissible under national legislation. Therefore, products which can contain even minimal levels of THC pose a reputational risk to Enterprise Ireland as the agency is not in a position to verify which companies, products and extraction methods meet the legal requirement in Ireland to contain 0.00% levels of THC, at least until there are further legislative or regulatory developments which may mitigate the reputational risks in future.