 The Green Party candidate for Helensville switched her main Facebook and Twitter photos to one taken while on a private visit of a farm in Yorkshire in the UK last july.
She was in the UK for a friend's wedding and had also been researching hempcrete - an eco-friendly building material - for her dream home. She personally wants law changes around how hemp can be sold, bought, invested in and used in its many forms. Holt also believes the Government should offer some kind of incentive to invest in the industry which she says doesn't currently have the capital to make it a viable alternative. "I'd been talking to some hemp growers in New Zealand about the difficulties they have a) getting a licence and b) monetising every aspect of it because of laws around what you can sell." "Generally it is a great crop to look into; the stuff you use for a building material is a waste product." Currently, the only way to get a licence for procure, cultivate, supply, process and possess industrial hemp is to apply under the Misuse of Drugs Act. In 2001, the Green Party announced a policy to get that removed from the Act. Holt says it is "silly" the way to get a licence is only through that piece of legislation, saying it isn't a drug or intoxicant. "There are very minimal amounts of THC (the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis) in hemp." But she said even "greenies" joked about getting high when she talked to them about the benefits of the plant. Hemp stalk and seed are used for a variety of products including bread, protein powder, fuel, flour, paper products, canvas and clothing. - Newshub |
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