Cannabis has many varieties, some that make you high, or relaxed and others that don’t.
The plant can produce seed for food and oils, stalk for fibre and biomass, flowers for extracts, and roots with therapeutic uses.

THC & Cannabinoids

Cannabis plants contain unique compounds called cannabinoids. There are around 85 found in the plant, of which Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the most well known. It is the compound known to cause the high you feel when smoking the marijuana (chamba) variety. This is not the same as the low-THC variety known as industrial hemp - they are different.

Marijuana, or 'Malawi Gold', can produce high levels of THC and it is bred for its psychoactive effects. No research has been done as to whether low-THC hemp exists in Malawi, with only the high THC variants having gained notoriety in the past.

An important cannabinoid, Cannabidiol (CBD), is proving to help with many health ailments including epilepsy and seizures and pain relief, among others. Pharma-giants like GW Pharmaceuticals (UK) are producing medicines with cannabinoids for their own product ranges. Hemp produces more CBD than THC and it is non-psychoactive. In fact, research has shown that CBD could inhibit the psychoactive effects of THC. Invegrow is first producing raw extracts from its hemp varieties using its own technology developed in Africa and will then progress into medicinal THC varieties by late 2022.

There are many different names for the Cannabis plant, but 'hemp' actually refers to the industrial variety, producing internationally traded products

Industrial Hemp

Industrial hemp is the variety of Cannabis sativa that is non-psychoactive and can not be smoked. It contains very low levels of THC (between 0.3% to 1%), which is like the 'alcohol' that provides a high. This is the primary difference between marijuana and hemp and can easily be tested!

Like chillies, potatoes, or Eucalyptus, there are different varieties of cannabis. The industrial hemp varieties are currently grown in over 40 countries around the world to manufacture around 25,000 different products. Each nation is responsible for setting their own THC limits. Europe, for example, has around 40 approved varieties of hemp seed that is suitable mainly to grow in the Northern hemisphere, and some of these have been trialled in Malawi.

A Malawian analogy is Industrial hemp vs marijuana = non-alcoholic beer vs alcoholic beer (Thobwa vs chibuku)

In Africa, the word 'hemp' is unfortunately linked to the marijuana variety of Cannabis known in Malawi as 'indian hemp'. However, this is not semantically correct and traditional definitions prove difficult to reset in people’s minds. Hemp in Malawi is unfortunately not equated with plant based plastics, nutritious food, or military grade durable, breathable fabrics. Invegrow has been trying to rectify this through its educational campaigns since 2013.

One plant that can give us food, housing, clothing and medicine!

Cannabis is believed to be one of the oldest cultivated crops in the world and has been widely used in industrial and medical fields across the globe. Industrial products such as sails, ropes, and textiles for uniforms were made from the fibre and woody core of the tall, sturdy cannabis plants, and hemp’s strength and durability was revered worldwide.

The plant can produce hemp seed oil yields of 30%, as well as a nutritious plant based protein powder that is excellent for health. Depending on the final product desired, the cannabis plant was bred with certain characteristics leading to the type of cannabis we know today as hemp.

Other plants were recognised for being psychoactive and were bred selectively for medical and religious purposes. This lead to unique varieties of cannabis known now as marijuana. The separation of the cannabis gene pool led to two species (or sub-species) known as Cannabis indica and Cannabis sativa. The two, however, are rarely found in their pure form today and most varieties in the world are hybrids. Hemp is mainly a Northern hemisphere crop where industrial hemp has been bred and cultivated for centuries.

Historical Timeline of Hemp

Hemp | 8000 years strong
Hemp, known in other languages as asa, hanf, hamp, chanvre, bhang, canamo, kannab or cannabis, is thought to be one of the earliest plants cultivated for the production of a textile fibre.

8000 BC

It was only during the last century that cannabis hemp has been associated with its narcotic cousin marijuana and therefore banned in many countries. For 8000 years or more before that it was the world’s largest agricultural crop, producing the majority of our fibre, paper, fabric, lighting oil, medicines, as well as food oil and protein for both humans and animals.

According to the Columbia History of the World, “The earliest known woven fabric was of hemp, which began to be worked in the eighth millennium (8000-7000 BC).”

2800 BC

Hemp originated in central Asia, between the Himalayas and Siberia, and then spread through the migration of humans to all corners of the earth. More varieties are found in China than anywhere else and a statement from the “Lu Shi”, a Chinese text from the Sung dynasty (500 AD) says that Emperor Shen Nung (2800 BC) first taught the Chinese people to cultivate “ma” (hemp) for fibre. There is no evidence of the ancient Chinese using cannabis as a drug, only for fibre, food from the seeds, and later as fuel.

Hemp was grown as a fibre crop in Northern India since at least the eighth century, and according to Mayhayana Buddhist legends, Buddha lived on a single hemp seed a day during his path to enlightenment. More recently cannabis in India was produced almost exclusively for its drug content, and this is where the name Indian Hemp, referring to marijuana, comes from.

Herodotus (450 BC) wrote that the Thracians and Scythians used hemp extensively, and it was most likely that the Scythians introduced hemp to Europe during their westward migration (around 1500 BC).

100 AD

It was around 100 A.D. that the plant was named Cannabis Sativa by the Roman surgeon Dioscorides who described various medicinal uses. At the same time Pliny wrote a manual on farming hemp and explained its industrial uses.

In Japan, hemp or “Asa” has a long history, and is believed to have first been introduced by Chinese merchants. It is fundamental in many of the Shinto religions rituals and has been used as a clothing and food source for many thousands of years.

1500

The incredible diversity and usefulness of the hemp plant accelerated its spread to almost every continent and culture. Because of its strength and durability as a fabric and cord, it was used almost exclusively in the sails and rigging on the ships that left Europe to discover the world. King Phillip of Spain (1564) even ordered that hemp be cultivated throughout his empire, and many wars were fought over the supply of it.

Wherever the explorers landed, hemp was one of the first seeds they propagated as it grew so quickly and could meet so many of their requirements for clothing, food and fuel. Hemp soon spread from Europe to North and South America in the 1500’s and at a later stage Australia where many people survived a famine in the 1800’s by eating hemp seed as protein and hemp leaves as roughage.

As with everywhere else that hemp was cultivated, it fast became the crop of choice in the new colonies in North America, many of them making hemp cultivation mandatory for all farmers. To promote it further, hemp was even accepted as legal tender and taxes could be paid with hemp.

Hemp had become so important that George Washington urged farmers to sow the hemp seed everywhere, growing it himself, and Thomas Jefferson called hemp a “necessity”. The American Declaration of Independence was drafted on hemp paper, as well as the first pair of Levi jeans being constructed out of robust hemp fabric.

1800

Hemp continued to flourish and meet many of the needs of the colonialists until the middle of the 19th century when new tropical fibres were introduced, the petrochemical age began, steamships replaced sails and the toxic sulphur and chlorine processes to make paper from wood pulp was developed.

The Encyclopedia Britannica of 1856 stated: “But it is not as a narcotic and excitant that the hemp plant is most useful to mankind; it is as an advancer rather than a retarder of civilization, that its utility is made most manifest.”

1930

It continued in its rightful place as an important agricultural crop until the 1930’s when new machinery was invented to break the hemp, process the fibre and convert the hurds into paper. This drew the attention of the synthetic fibre producers (nylon had just been invented) and the paper and cotton industry magnates, who believed that they stood to lose billions of dollars if hemp’s commercial potential was fully exploited.

They were largely responsible for the “reefer madness” propaganda campaign that, in 1937, resulted in the outlawing of this natural fibre and, with this, their natural competition. They achieved this by demonising and outlawing the narcotic marijuana and thereby banishing the entire cannabis family, including hemp and its many thousands of legitimate uses.

It was around this time that Henry Ford invented a car (Ford Hemp Car) that had a body made of hemp composites and ran on hemp fuel, in an aim to fulfill his dream of “growing automobiles from the soil”. But because of hemp being banned at the time, and the advances made with the petrochemical industry, petrol was soon the prevailing fuel for motor vehicles, a move that has cost the planet dearly and will continue to do so until we move back to environmentally responsible fuel sources.

1940 – 1955

A few years later, during the Second World War, the legislation was again changed when the Japanese cut off the supplies of Manila hemp needed for uniforms and ropes. The USDA then promoted hemp again with a film “Hemp for Victory”, that urged farmers to grow the crop to meet the fibre demands. After a brief return to favour, hemp was again banned in 1955, and it remains so in the States to this day.

Today

The USA’s attitude towards hemp has influenced many others to adopt similar legislation. Part of the USA’s criteria for foreign aid is the dismantling of the receiving country’s drug industry. Seeing as hemp and marijuana are seen as the same by the US government, a hemp industry would deny any country access to valuable foreign aid.

Recently many countries have recognised hemp’s potential and its value as an environmentally responsible crop. More than 30 nations, including England, France, Germany, China and Canada now have a legal hemp industry, and many more are undertaking research in a move towards a change in legislation.

Although hemp has lost out on nearly a century of technology and market development, farmers and businesses are rediscovering its incredible potential across the planet. As hemp research and cultivation resumes, many more uses for it will be discovered.

The search is on for alternatives to pesticide greedy cotton, forest-destroying paper, war-generating and polluting petrochemicals and nutritionally devoid western diets.

Although hemp is only part of the solution, many believe that it is the only known renewable natural resource that can meet nearly all our requirements to move back to a healthier, greener planet.

Frequently asked questions

Are industrial and medicinal cannabis legal in Malawi?

It is legal to cultivate cannabis in Malawi only with a licence from the Cannabis Regulatory Authority (CRA) based at Chitedze, Lilongwe. Industrial hemp is capped at 1% THC and medicinal cannabis has no threshold. However, the licence fees will help determine the licences growers and processes in each field as they are much higher for medicinal than industrial.

How is cannabis being regulated?

The Cannabis Act indicates how the industry will be regulated and the Regulations give more detail. The CRA will accept applications on a rolling basis and the applicant pays their fees accordingly. The farms have to be GPS’d and evaluated. Visit the Industrial Crops Association’s Resource and FAQ page to read the Act and see fee structures.

Is cannabis grown elsewhere in the world?

Yes industrial hemp is grown in over 40 countries around the world, with the main producers being China (textiles), Canada (food), Australia (fibre) and Europe (fibre).  Malawi stands to benefit from industrial hemp since it is an agricultural country with much expertise in this area, land and resources, and is centrally located for exports. Medicinal cannabis is more restricted although more countries are now opening up.

What products can be made from industrial and medicinal cannabis?

Industrial hemp produces around  an estimated 25,000 upstream and downstream products in food, cosmetics, construction materials, medicines, clothing and plastics. It produces a seed (or nut) that expels nutritious oil rich in Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids, and the seed cake is high in a very digestible protein that is consumed worldwide for its health benefits. It be be used for both human protein and livestock feed. The flowers produce high value oils with excellent medicinal benefits. The stalk produces a very strong bast fibre that can be used for clothing and upholstery fabric. The remaining ‘hurd’ is used in construction and to make bio-composites, a substitute for plastics.

Medicinal cannabis can be flowers, extracts and tincture, isolates, and pills. It really depends on the medical approvals that the company has in place as to what it can develop.

How is cannabis stalk used in construction?

Industrial hemp is being used right now in construction, forming a replacement for bricks and insulation material, and creating substitutes for timber products. There are thousands of homes and buildings being made from hemp all over the world. For hemp ‘bricks’, the hurd/ woody core, is chipped and mixed with a lime -based binder and used as a filler in walls. The hurd can also make a block board type material, insulation, animal bedding, amongst many other value- added products. Invegrow has a sample hemp house at its farm.

How is cannabis stalk used in clothing?

Textiles require a very high- grade fibre from the very strong bast fibre on the outside of the stalk. The agronomy to make hemp fibre is different to that of seed and flowers in that it requires a higher planting density and shorter growing time in the field. The retting process is key to making the fibre soft, yet strong. The Chinese are experts at this industry and Invegrow is importing high-grade hemp textile from China to make clothing in Malawi using local tailors and fashion designers.

How is cannabis seed used in beauty and cosmetic products?

Cannabis seed has been used for centuries in beauty products and there are two types of oil that can be used. The hemp seed oil is expelled from the seed and the high value nutraceutical extract from the flowers. Malawian women actually use the chamba oil in their hair to promote hair growth! Hemp seed oil is cold pressed and is used in famous brands all over the world, such as Body Shop, in their creams, body butters, shampoos, face washes, body washes, and hair products, amongst others.

Can we eat hemp foods from the seed?

Hemp foods are made from the cannabis seed and are very nutritious. They do not contain cannabinoids inside them, are not toxic, and so are not harmful to health.The seed is a nutty oil that is cold pressed and used in food and cosmetics. The seed oil is rich in omega 3 & 6 fatty acids that is essential for brain development and nourishes the skin, hair and nails. The seed-cake can be refined into a very high protein powder on par with soya.

Visit Hemp Food Australia or Manitoba Harvest for more information on hemp foods.

Can cannabis negatively affect the environment?

Cannabis is a very environmentally- friendly crop and industrial hemp uses around a third less fertilizer and water than other cash crops. It produces much of the same products as trees that take between 20 and 50 years to grow and can be used for some commercial purpose after just 4 months. It is said that 1acre of hemp can equal the equivalent product of 4 acres of trees and grows in a much shorter time! It takes less land and can be grown, like bamboo, around polluted water catchment areas and actually cleanses the water. Substituting hemp for forests would eliminate erosion of topsoil, protect wildlife and help reduce pollution of lakes and rivers.

Are there markets for cannabis products?

Since one crop can produce so many value added products there is a huge market. It really depends on the level of investment and the processing. In 2015, the US hemp retail market was around $570 million and the Hemp foods and body care products achieved a 10.4% growth (Hemp Industries Association). The CBD and pharmaceutical products are adding many more millions onto this amount and Africa remains largely untapped.

Can we value add to cannabis in Malawi?

Yes, we absolutely must value- add. Flowers must be trimmed, dried, cured, and packed. Seed should be cold pressed or shelled into foods and oils. Stalk should be used as valuable biomass.

Invegrow’s commitment is to see as much of the wealth and income coming back to Malawi as possible. Some of the products will be for export, but we want to see hemp final products being used and made locally. Import substitution is also very important and therefore we want to see value addition from other Malawians companies that can help stimulate the local economy too.

Cultivation & Legal Status in Malawi

Low-THC (hemp) and high-THC Cannabis (‘marijuana’) are grown for different uses, and therefore require different growing conditions. One is agriculture and the other is effectively horticulture. 

Hemp plants have been created from centuries of selective breeding resulting in “relatively low concentrations of THC, and tall, fast growing plants optimized for higher stalk and grain harvests.” Hemp-derived CBD/cannabinoids are becoming a new lucrative product for hemp used in the supplements, nutraceutical and food & beverage industries. So the hemp plant can also produce flowers for cannabinoids but is characterised by its low THC levels.

Medical cannabis is defined as the variety of cannabis cultivated and processed for medical purposes. Its cannabinoid profile in the flowers is desirable for medical use, and can consist of any level or variation of cannabinoids (including CBD and THC). Medical cannabis has been selectively bred over generations, and its characteristics are optimized in its cultivation environment to produce female flowering plants that yield budding flowers at the flowering stage of their life cycle (Sutton).

Achieving maximum THC levels in ‘marijuana’ is tricky and requires close attention to grow-room conditions. Marijuana growers usually aim to maintain stable light, temperature, humidity, CO2 and oxygen levels, among other things. On the other hand, hemp is usually grown outdoors to maximize its size and yield and less attention is paid to individual plants.

Europe grew around 20,000 hectares of industrial hemp in 2016, Canada over 55,000 hectares in 2017, and although China is the largest producer of fibre, the exact hectarage under cultivation is not known as it is a closely guarded state secret. Australia also grows and process hemp products and exports worldwide. In the USA for example, it is legal to import hemp goods into most countries and the USA imports around $500 million worth of hemp product annually (Hemp Industry Association).

Since the US opened its doors in early 2014 to ‘medical cannabis’, it has precipitated a worldwide movement to legalise the plant for medical and/or recreational purposes. A number of US states have climbed onto the cannabis train and many are making considerable revenue counter sales.

Other countries such as Israel, Canada, and Uruguay are also working to legalise all forms of cannabis. However, since it is still considered a narcotic it is up to individual governments to assess viability in their own countries. The industry in many respects is still developing.

In February 2020, Malawi passed the Cannabis Act in Parliament and Invegrow’s trial data greatly enabled this process. The first batch of licences were finally given in April 2021. Stay tuned to Invegrow social media pages for any additional updates.

Sources:

1) Hemp Today – Ed Rosenthal
2) The Emperor Wears No Clothes – Jack Herer
3) Hemp – Lyster E. Dewey (Yearbook of USDA 1913)
4) The Hemp Report – www.votehemp.com
5) Global Hemp (www.globalhemp.com)
6) Hempology.org