UK Offence Report

The Hemp (Third Country Imports) Regulations 2002

UK Statutory Instrument 2002 No. 787 — creates 2 criminal offences.

2offences created
0recorded in force
0revoked
Made
25 March 2002
In force from
1 May 2002
Extent
Not stated
Subject
Food, consumer protection, trading standards, product safety and age-restricted sales
Made under
European Communities Act 1972

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Regulations) — published with the instrument by the department that made it. © Crown copyright, reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

These Regulations, which come into force on 1st May 2002, introduce provisions concerning the import into the United Kingdom of true hemp, hemp seeds for sowing and hemp seeds other than for sowing (“hemp”) from countries other than Member States of the European Community (“third countries”). The Regulations implement the requirements of Article 17a of Commission Regulation (EC) No. 245/2001 concerning imported hemp (OJ No. L35, 6.2.2001, p.18. Article 17a was inserted by Commission Regulation (EC) No. 1093/2001 (OJ No. L150, 6.6.2001, p.17) and amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No. 52/2002 (OJ No. L10, 12.1.2002, p.10)) in implementation of the requirements in respect of trade with third countries contained in Title II of Council Regulation (EC) No. 1673/2000 on the common organisation of the markets in flax and hemp grown for fibre (OJ No. L193, 29.7.2000, p.16). The Regulations require that hemp from third countries be imported under a licence, and, in the case of hemp seeds other than for sowing, under an authorisation, issued by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in respect of imports into England, the National Assembly for Wales in respect of imports into Wales, the Scottish Ministers in respect of imports into Scotland, and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in respect of imports into Northern Ireland (“the appropriate authority”) (regulation 3). The Regulations establish procedures for the application for, and the grant and variation of, import licences as well as specifying the scope of those licences (regulations 4 to 7), and introduce similar procedures for authorisations (regulation 11). They also introduce requirements in relation to the tetrahydrocannabinol (“THC”) content of the variety of true hemp or hemp seeds for sowing imported (regulation 8) and the content of attestations provided by importers or subsequent users on the use made of hemp seeds other than for sowing (regulation 12). The Regulations introduce information and record keeping requirements (regulations 9 and 10) and establish provisions on enforcement (regulations 13 and 14), the suspension and revocation of licences and authorisations (regulation 15) and on offences and penalties (regulations 16 to 19). A Regulatory Impact Assessment has been prepared in respect of these Regulations. Copies of this assessment can be obtained from the Organics, Forestry and Industrial Crops Division of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Ergon House, 17 Smith Square, London SW1P 3JR. A copy has been placed in the library of both Houses of Parliament.

Offences created by this instrument

What Parliament said about it

Hansard was searched for this instrument by name and returned nothing. That is the ordinary outcome: an instrument laid under the negative procedure is usually never debated, and becomes law without a word said about it in either House.

How Parliament handled it

Parliament's Statutory Instruments service records procedure from May 2017 onwards, and this instrument predates it. That is a limit of the source, not a statement that nothing happened.

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