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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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Canada: Hemp Crop At Threshold
John Miner London Free Press (CN ON)
Wednesday 14 Feb 2001 Hemp will be cultivated in Southwestern Ontario fields again this summer despite growing pains in developing markets for the formerly illegal crop. Hempline Inc., based in Delaware, will be contracting farmers to grow the crop again this year, the company's president, Geoff Kime, said yesterday. Kime said Hempline is still deciding how much acreage it needs and should reach a decision in about two weeks. Kime said he expects the acreage will be up from last season. About 320 hectares of hemp were grown in Ontario last year. Hempline and Kenex Ltd., based in Chatham-Kent, are the two main hemp processors in Ontario. Kime said the market for hemp fibre is growing in the auto parts sector with hemp used to replace glass fibre materials. "It is really starting to take off." Hemp has the advantage of being lighter than fibreglass, is easily recycled and is as economical, he said. "We're looking at scaling up our operation due to demand." But Bob L'Ecuyer, general manager at Kenex, said his company still hasn't decided if it will grow any hemp. "It will depend on market conditions. We're still working off past acreages," L'Ecuyer said yesterday. L'Ecuyer expects Kenex will make its decision by mid-April. "I would say the acreage will be minimal," he said. Kenex also markets its hemp for the production of automotive composites. "It's an emerging market," L'Ecuyer said. Hemp, used for the production of everything from clothing to ropes, was banned in Canada in 1938 under the Opium and Narcotic Drug Act. That ban was lifted in 1998 by Health Minister Allan Rock.
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