Hello, I'm Charles Coviss, Australasias passion provocateur. Welcome to this week's episode
of the Charles Coviss show, whether you're watching on YouTube or on rumble or via podcast.
In this week's show, my big idea is to explore the 11 wonderful ways in which industrial hemp
can and will save our planet, provided that governments do not get in the way.
For regular viewers and listeners, I've got a big surprise. It's going to be a different show today.
I'm not following the regular format. I'm talking about this major topic of industrial hemp because
it's so important and because I don't want this show to be too long. We will revert to our normal
format in next week's show. This show was inspired by my need this week to prepare a submission to
the Victorian government here in Australia that is conducting an inquiry on industrial hemp and
how it can help Victoria into the future. I'm the chief executive officer of Textile and Composite
Industries. I started consulting to that company in October 2012, almost 11 years ago.
I became the chief executive officer when the founder of the company, Adrian Clark, died in
October 2015, three years after I started to get involved with the company. TCI supplies the world's
best hemp decorticator, a machine for processing hemp all around the world. A picture of that
decorticator is now on your screen. The website for the company is textilecomposite.industries.
I am also the secretary of the Australian Industrial Hemp Alliance, Australia's peak national body for
industrial hemp. Industrial hemp is cannabis. It is low THC form of cannabis and it is THC that gets you high.
Any cannabis with low THC will not get you high. CBD that you've heard of I'm sure does not get you high.
Many politicians do not understand this and many politicians make decisions about cannabis and hemp
whilst being totally ignorant. I became secretary of AIHA in 2017. Its website is hempalliance.org.au.
I am on the four-man executive board of the Federation of International Hemp Organisations.
I am the secretary of FIHO. There are nine directors globally of FIHO. Its website is
fio.org. So you might say I know a little bit about industrial hemp and cannabis.
I consider industrial hemp and the cannabis plant to be the most amazing plant available to
humanity. For those of you who believe in God I consider it's the most amazing plant given to
humanity by God. But presently it's a cottage industry globally. In other words it's a small
industry. Why do you think that is? I am often asked this question. If hemp is so good how come
it's such a small industry? It has less than 300,000 hectares of hemp growing globally.
My simple answer to that is bloody politicians or incompetent politicians or corrupt politicians
or some other descriptor of politicians as well as government interference in the name of safety.
Well you know how good governments are at protecting your safety. Just look at
what we've been going through for the last four years all in the name of saving you.
I don't want government to save me thank you very much.
Governments are also corrupted because they act in the commercial interests of other parties.
They make decisions based on the representations of people whose existing business interests will
be harmed if they stop blocking new products, new solutions coming on the market. Hemp and cannabis
is one of those solutions and has been proven to be blocked by government interference. It's now
time for that government interference to be totally removed. I call on the removal of that
government interference. Hemp's time is here. I will share 11 wonderful ways in which hemp will
save our planet and then I will share five steps that must be taken by government,
by government authorities, by companies and each one of us watching and viewing this show.
If these steps are taken Hemp's time will indeed be here. I love our planet.
Regular viewers and listeners know that I love our planet. I want to protect it. I want to
rejuvenate it. I want to regenerate it because it's the only planet we have. I've been involved in
organic farming since 1976. I deeply understand regenerative agriculture. Our planet certainly
has a soil emergency problem. It has been chemicalized beyond belief. Our planet has a
waste problem, particularly plastic waste and plastic pollution. Our planet has water and air
pollution problems. However, our planet does not have a climate emergency or a climate crisis.
Nevertheless, understanding how hemp can solve various emergencies will reinforce the need
to go deeply into hemp and understand how hemp can save our planet. To keep this show at a
reasonable length I will need to keep my explanations at a minimum. While I'm doing
those explanations I will keep imbibing my wonderful caffeine, not cannabis but caffeine.
Further details of all of these propositions that I'm putting to you are available on request.
Any one of you who wants me to speak at conferences or meetings or corporate meetings
is most welcome to contact me and let's have a discussion about that.
Now there are 10 major categories of products and solutions that can be made from industrial hemp
and from cannabis. The picture on your screen shows these 10 categories. They are food, clothing,
shelter, buildings, number four is medicinal solutions, fertilizers, biofuels, composite
products such as those used to replace fiberglass, body care products and cosmetics,
ropes and binding solutions and lastly packaging solutions of all types. Isn't that amazing?
I think it's amazing. That's why I say hemp is the most amazing plant that is available to humanity.
You can see a picture of a hemp crop on your screen. This crop grew from seed in 100 days.
Imagine that up to four meters in height over 100 days. That's four centimeters of growth
each day. It can produce usable biomass of up to 25 tons per hectare but the number that I think of
is 10 tons per hectare of usable biomass. Now these 11 hemp solutions that will save our planet
are not in any particular order of importance and there are many more than just 11 solutions. I've
tried to distill the best and most relevant 11 for your consideration. There are many more.
If you can see a problem contact me and we'll discuss how hemp can be a solution. Here's hemp
solution number one. Hemp can help every company that chooses to or is required to comply with ESG
requirements that's environmental, social and governance requirements to elegantly fulfill
those requirements. Number two hemp can help every company that chooses to or is required to comply
with circular economy problems to elegantly handle those problems. It can particularly help
in eliminating plastic waste, plastic pollution. Plastic can be replaced with hemp alternatives.
Number three Australia's and many other countries greatest security risk is lack of fuel
independence. Lack of independent fuel supply. Hemp can produce unlimited quantities of
ethanol from the core of the plant called herd. This is a true biofuel. Ethanol can be used to
power most engines with slight modifications and this ethanol can also be refined to power
jet engines the whole aviation industry. Number four hemp can produce unlimited quantities of
biodiesel. Another true biofuel to replace diesel fuel. This fuel will power farm tractors and many
large machines. Number five biofuel from hemp can power existing electricity generating equipment.
And could be used to replace coal. In Australia everyone's raving about using coal to generate
electricity. Well hemp biofuel can be used to generate those existing machines. Affordable
electricity can be maintained with virtually zero greenhouse gas emissions without having to spend
mega amounts of capital on new infrastructure spending for renewable energy solutions.
Number six aren't you excited by this? I am. Hempcrete homes are healthier and more energy
efficient and more economic than normal homes. And hempcrete homes can be made for totally upmarket
buildings as well as low cost social housing. Number seven less wealthy countries. Countries
on levels one and two of the United Nations four levels of categorizing nations can transform their
nations can transform their economies with hemp by using hemp as an import replacement to replace
fuel that is often imported or products that are imported. Each country has different import
requirements that can be replaced with hemp grown locally. Countries can literally lift themselves
up by their bootstraps by effectively and economically growing major hemp crops. Number eight
hemp seed is a wonderful and healthy food source particularly of protein. You will be
healthier if you eat hemp seed and hemp seed oil. Put hemp seed oil on every salad that you make
you don't cook with hemp seed oil. Number nine cheap cotton and synthetic textiles are creating
massive waste problems throughout the world. Hemp clothing will solve that problem. Hemp clothing
and hemp textiles are better healthier create less waste because people hold onto them and use them
for a long time and will therefore reduce textile waste problems. Also growing with hemp requires
of pesticides herbicides and chemicals than growing cotton. I love that cotton is a natural
product and organic cotton is a wonderful natural product but non-organic cotton is less so of a
natural product. Number ten hemp composite products are being developed to replace timber
in many applications including many buildings. This application of hemp will reduce the need
to cut down trees for those places where this is a relevant factor for the environment.
Hemp solution number 11 the last one new jobs will be created requiring new skills for the ongoing
transformation of hemp crops into this into the wonderful range of products that can be
made from hemp and this creation of new jobs and new skills will also lift the the economic prospects
the GDP and also the quality of life in countries. There are many more solutions these 11 solutions
alone can enable any country to achieve net zero carbon emissions if it wishes to although for the
reasons previously expressed i'm not so concerned about net zero because i say there is no climate
emergency there is no climate crisis but we have the other emergencies. I created a mantra for hemp
HP by four that's showing on your screen
healthy products healthy people healthy planet healthy profits every business needs profits
but the purpose of business is not profits profits is the fuel that enables a company or a business
to keep progressing to keep operating profits to a company is like oxygen to a human being it's a
essential for survival but it's not the purpose for the business so how do we make all this happen
i say there are five key steps number one governments all around the world state and federal
must do everything they can to remove any unnecessary impediments to the use of industrial
hemp and the word unnecessary means really unnecessary not BS unnecessary even now as
i'm speaking to you the australian government's pesticides and veterinary medicines authority the
APVMA is wrongly attacking the use of hemp as food for animals it is acting unlawfully contrary to
law i say it's disgraceful and it's all being done in the name of safety this is an example of
what governments do to block hemp and cannabis and the wonderful benefits that you and i and the
planet can get from it again all in the name of safety when governments talk to you about safety
run for cover number two large companies need to educate themselves on the 11 hemp solutions
that i've discussed in this show and the information on the websites that i have referred to
and then take steps to invest serious funds to create the solutions that hemp can provide to
solve their problems to help their business activities bloom most companies practice
greenwashing they say they're keen on reducing environmental and other harms to our planet
and to people but they do nothing if it costs them money i call on companies to stop greenwashing i'm
delighted that stock exchanges around the world are now checking up on proclamations by companies
that say they're interested in in net zero or minimal harms or esg matters but actually don't
do anything if it's going to cost them a cent number three large investment funds superannuation
funds and serious investors that wish to save our planet from the emergencies that i've referred to
need to be willing to put serious money considerable money into these hemp solutions
to convert it from a cottage industry that is unnecessarily blocked by governments and red tape
into one of the world's major agricultural and value adding industries number four step
step local government authorities and most government authorities are risk averse and are
unwilling to do anything new without incontrovertible proof unless of course there are
companies or people with plenty of money who are giving inducements and incitements to politicians
to do something new such authorities must shift their attitude towards new solutions and give
preference to hemp solutions i'll give you one example of that governments should specify
hemp textiles for all uniforms for government employees and particularly first responders
first responders hate synthetic textile uniforms because after half a day their perspiration smells
on those uniforms if you wear hemp textiles you can wear clothing for four weeks without washing it
and it won't smell because it's natural antibacterial antimicrobial isn't that amazing
number five the last step you dear viewers and listeners need to demand hemp products and
solutions from large companies from your suppliers of various products and solutions and from your
retail suppliers so that your demand will drive ever increasing investment and ever increasing
solutions from the from all industry that demand will drive investment it will be a mutually
supportive circular economical growth so there you have it industrial hemp and cannabis can save
our planet and it will the only question is how quickly this will happen i want to see it happen
quickly it's up to us and there are people watching and listening to the show who work in government
who can play a crucial role in implementing these five steps to use these five hemp solutions
let's make it happen again please don't hesitate to ask for any further information or resources
you need arising from the ideas that we've suggested in this show i'm confident about the
importance the value of industrial hemp i'm confident that hemp can solve many of the
emergencies that face us i'm confident that hemp can save and will save our planet then i'm confident
that if we speak up enough against government interference that interference to the progress
of hemp will reduce thanks for watching or listening have a great week full of passion
challenge and the enjoyable exploration of who you are i look forward to being with you next week bye
do