Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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321. To ask the Minister for Health the status of growing hemp for industrial purposes such as hempcrete construction; and his plans to change same. [35838/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Cannabis and its derivatives are controlled by virtue of the Misuse of Drugs framework. Under the Misuse of Drugs Acts, cannabis means any part of the plant of the genus cannabisbut excludes the mature stalk and fibre produced from it and the seeds after separation from the rest of the plant. Any other part of the plant not explicitly excluded under the Act is cannabis for the purposes of the Act and should be destroyed by the licensee.

Under current legislation the Minister for Health can issue a licence for the growing of hemp from seed varieties specified by the Commission of the European Communities, as being eligible for the purposes of Article 1 of Regulation (EU) No. 1307/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 (OJ No. L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 608.). The cultivation of certain varieties of hemp for industrial purposes is permitted in Ireland provided the entity cultivating the hemp is in possession of a licence issued under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977, as amended.

The HPRA (Health Products Regulatory Authority) administers the hemp licencing process on behalf of the Department of Health. Further information regarding the hemp licencing process for the above purposes is available from the HPRA at controlleddrugs@hpra.ie.