Legislative Council
HEMP PRODUCTS
The Hon. M.J. ELLIOTT: I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking
the Minister representing the Minister for Human Services a question about hemp products.
Leave granted.
The Hon. M.J. ELLIOTT: Internationally the Body Shop has been selling a line of
products made from hemp oil—skin lotions and soap being among those products. Those
products, I think in the past couple of days, were launched in all other States except
South Australia. They have not been launched in South Australia because they have been
incidentally caught up in our Controlled Substances Act. I have not seen the legal advice
but it appears that, because of the particular wording used within our Act and perhaps
within the regulations, if the Body Shop stocks large quantities of this product, although
it contains very low levels of THC—the active ingredient of cannabis—it would be
deemed to have commercial quantities of a drug and as such could be prosecuted, and if it
dared to sell soap to a person under the age of 18 it could lead to a fine of up to $1
million.
The Body Shop is not very keen on that and so it has held back on selling the
products in South Australia which are being legally sold in every other State. As it
appears that the Controlled Substances Act and regulations might need to be changed before
the Body Shop can sell these products, is the Minister for Human Services prepared to
change regulations in such a way as to allow a product to be sold that cannot possibly be
of any interest in relation to drugs—a product that can be sold in every other State
and, I think, in most overseas countries?
The Hon. DIANA LAIDLAW: I will refer the honourable member's question to the
Minister and bring back a reply.
Read the Government's reply: 16 February 1999
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