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Recently, Higher Living green tea hemp has been pulled off from the supermarket shelves as it contains higher than permissible levels of Cannabidiol (CBD) and Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
The stores that sold these tea bags included Countdown, New World Hutt City, and some small retail shops and it was imported from the United Kingdom, where it is legal.
Source: Shutterstock
The Tea breached NZ laws
In New Zealand, it goes against the laws of the land, as they do not permit the use of cannabis leaves in any of the products. While 2017 changes in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code permits the sale of hemp seeds and products, it does not allow the use of cannabis leaves.
However, tea made by House of Fine Foods, UK, uses hemp leaves rather than seeds. Its label clearly states cannabidiol, which comes from hemp plant and shows a leaf of the same on its packaging.
Jon Duffy, Consumer NZ chief executive while expressing concern said that, even though the packaging has clearly shown the use of CBD and does not look misleading, Countdown, the store should have been very careful.
Did You Read; NZ Legalising Cannabis: Is It Worth Rolling The Bill?
Pro-hemp users want reform in the law
However, pro-hemp users said that it is safe and a reform on hemp products is immediately required. They claim it has no psychoactive compound that could prove to be harmful.
In NZ, there are some who support the use of tea that has CBD and think that now is a good time to amend the rules, while it is making news.
Even though its use for medicinal purpose is allowed, recreational purposes does not seem to be happening soon. It’s unclear if, or when, recreational cannabis will be legalised as recently, New Zealand’s bid to legalise marijuana was stuck down by 53.1 percent to 46.1 percent.
Generally, it is well-tolerated, yet CBD could cause side effects, such as dry mouth, diarrhea, reduced appetite, drowsiness, and fatigue. Another reason for worry is the inaccuracy of the transparency and quantity of CBD in the sold products.
Some countries that are using it legally for medicinal as well as recreational purposes are Canada, South Africa, Georgia and Uruguay. Also, some countries have given licenses to a few coffee shops, while most of the countries around the world use it for medicinal purposes.
Countdown Store still selling hemp tea online
While the product has been taken off the shelves of stores, Countdown is still offering it online and this could be critical especially when the NZ Consumer body is trying hard to ensure that the product is not accessible to any customer.
