Hemp Submission For The Citizens’ Assembly
By Brian Houlihan
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Recently the Citizens’ Assembly requested submissions on ‘How the State can make Ireland a leader in tackling climate change’. They specifically called for suggestions on (but not limited to) energy, transport and agriculture. For this public consultation process I took the opportunity to submit proposals on how hemp can be utilised in the fight against climate change.
So what is the Citizens’ Assembly?
The Citizens’ Assembly is a body comprising a chairperson (Ms. Justice Laffoy) and 99 citizens randomly chosen to be representative of the Irish electorate. It was established to consider five issues facing Ireland’s future including the eight amendment (abortion) and climate change.
In the submission I outlined how hemp can potentially revolutionise sectors such as: energy, agriculture, building, plastics and packaging. I also highlighted the benefit of creating a domestic industry which would provide a boost to the rural economy.
You can read my submission below. It’s shorter than I had hoped but I feel it highlights a number of important factors anyway. It’s vital to utilise such platforms in order to promote the Irish hemp industry and hemp generally. Much like my hemp petition which is being considered by a government committee.
The Assembly will meet over two weekends to consider all submissions; September 30th / October 1st and November 4th / 5th. The Assembly will then report and make recommendations to the Houses of the Oireachtas (Dáil and Seanad).
Hopefully some of my suggestions will end up in the final report. I will keep you informed of any developments in the meantime.
Brian Houlihan is the curator of the Dublin Hemp Museum and regularly writes about hemp. Follow us on Twitter at @dubhempmuseum and @houlihanbrian. You can also find us on Facebook.
