Russia may soon authorize the cultivation of hemp – otherwise known as cannabis sativa – for agricultural and industrial needs, Russia’s Federal Drug Control Service said on Friday.
On September 28, the country’s State Anti-drug Committee will decide whether to allow the cultivation of hemp, currently prohibited in Russia.
Russia was a world leading producer of hemp, used as a source of oil, food, fibers, housing and industrial materials, until 1961 when the Soviet Union ratified the UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs which declared cannabis – along with heroin – a highly toxic narcotic.
Russia is currently one of the world’s biggest importers of hemp fibers and oil, the country’s drug control watchdog said in a statement.
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