The updated industrial hemp regulations, released this week alongside Health Canada’s recreational cannabis rules, will allow hemp growers to harvest the flowers and leaves from their crop for non-psychoactive compounds such as cannabidiol (CBD).
“Whole plant” harvest could generate up to $10 billion in economic activity over the next 10 years, the government estimates, as the market for CBD — seen as a potential input for medical products, supplements and beauty products — continues to grow.