Amendments are on the way in the Parliament to facilitate the import of fibrous hemp products and their products from other countries of the European Union (EU) into Lithuania – simplification of the requirements for their suppliers is proposed.

On Wednesday, the Seimas Committee on Health Affairs approved amendments to the Law on the Control of Tobacco, Tobacco Products and Related Products, drafted by a group of the Seimas rulers.  

Linas Slušnys, a conservative, said that the amendments would bring benefits.  

„I hope that businesses will have new opportunities to produce new products (...). These studies are very expensive and we will be able to do studies not only for ourselves, for our own hemp producers, but also for almost the whole of Europe," said Mr Slušnys. 

At the time, „peasant“ Asta Kubilienė argued that the changes would free up the cannabis market.  

„I do not support the legalisation of cannabis, (...) very dubious safeguards have been put in place“, – she said.

Department of Drugs, Tobacco and Alcohol Control spokeswoman Gražina Belian hopes that the amendments will be complemented by an obligation for all businesses to provide information on hemp intermediates that produce more than the permitted 0.2% of the psychoactive tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). 

According to her, there are currently five companies with operating licences and the data from them does not give an indication of the size of the market:  However, the market is broader than that.“

The amendments propose removing the requirement for companies supplying the Lithuanian market with hemp for fibre to have a certificate that products produced in other EU countries are derived from or produced from hemp for fibre with a THC content below the 0.3% limit.

The authors of the amendment say that the amount of THC in the final product and not in the raw material is important for consumer safety, as it depends not only on the raw material but also on the technology used to produce the final product. 

According to the initiators of the amendment, these changes are particularly necessary for research companies, which mainly produce healthcare products and cosmetic components.  

The amendments would also allow the cultivation in Lithuania of varieties of hemp developed in Ukraine. This would allow the cultivation of more varieties of hemp for fibre in the country and develop their use.

After the amendments have been debated in the Seimas, there will be a recess of several months during which the amendments will need to be notified.