The UAE’s decision to allow the medical use of industrial hemp has been praised, with the move expected to deliver health benefits without posing a risk of illicit drug use.
A federal decree was issued in December allowing the use of hemp in sectors including health, textiles, construction and packaging.
Prof Michael Barnes, a consultant neurologist who wrote a 2016 report in the UK on the medical use of cannabis, said substances derived from hemp could help with the treatment of a variety of conditions. “Hopefully this will help people in the Emirates, particularly with regard to sleep, anxiety or epilepsy,” he said.
How does it work?
Such potential medical benefits, which may extend to helping with skin conditions and high blood pressure, are caused by a substance in hemp products called cannabidiol, or CBD. In some countries CBD is sold as an oil and in tablets.
Hemp comes from plants with the scientific name Cannabis sativa, but it contains extremely low levels of the psychoactive compound tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC.
Internationally, it is typically agreed on that THC levels in hemp products should be below 0.3 per cent. That means hemp and substances derived from it cannot be used as recreational drugs.
While the federal decree prohibits the personal or recreational use of industrial hemp, Prof Barnes said there was no risk "whatsoever" that such substances could be abused under the ruling.
What is allowed?
The decree legalises the sale of medical products containing hemp compounds or raw materials derived from hemp, as well as those that contain oils extracted from industrial hemp seeds or stalks. Products will be tested to ensure they do not breach the rules.
But manufacturing, importing or using veterinary, food or smoking products derived from hemp is banned, while dietary supplements are also prohibited. Also, anything that produces a narcotic or psychoactive effect is restricted by the country's existing drugs laws.
The import, export and growing of hemp seeds will be tightly controlled under the decree, with a licence required and cultivation restricted to specific secure areas.
In announcing the federal decree, UAE authorities said the move would establish “a new economic sector” and create “a promising market aligned with international best practices”.
What is hemp?
Traditionally, hemp has been used to produce sails, for example, and is also found in hundreds of products including packaging, building materials and animal feed. “Probably the majority of countries worldwide are allowing the use of hemp for industrial use and more particularly for medical [use]. It’s very good for industrial use. It’s a very good, strong stem,” Prof Barnes said.
He added that hemp is “an exceptionally good isolator of carbon”, as it is able to fix far greater quantities than forests.
It is also good at cleaning soil and was used for that purpose in the exclusion zone around the Soviet-era Chernobyl nuclear power plant after the disaster in 1986.
Dr Bharat Pankhania, a senior clinical lecturer at the University of Exeter Medical School in the UK, said people could gain “great relief” from medication containing substances from plants from the cannabis family. “For example, people with multiple sclerosis derive benefit from using cannabinoids,” he said.
Separate to laws allowing the use of hemp and products derived from it, the medical use of cannabis, which contains higher levels of THC than hemp, is legal in 71 countries, Prof Barnes said. The UAE decree has not legalised this use.
