Hemp co-operative in Mallorca becomes Spain’s first fully legal CBD farm

CBD IN MALLORCA

Spain has seen a giant leap in the homegrown CBD industry.

Until now, hemp farmers in Spain were only allowed to harvest stems and seeds of the cannabis sativa plant – and never CBD flowers.

But a hemp farming cooperative in Mallorca has made history by securing the first licences to sell homegrown CBD flowers and create a brand-new income generator in Spain.

Noma Original spent ‘a year and a half’ consulting legal advice and obtaining authorisation to set up the Balearic Islands’ first-ever hemp cooperative.

The native Mallorcans behind the cooperative got the go ahead in July 2021 and enjoyed their first harvest of legal CBD flowers in Spain at the end of summer.

“We’ve searched and found no evidence of any other cultivator selling CBD flowers legally in Spain,” founder Nuño Monasterio told Pure Organic CBD.

“Hemp has lots of uses in the textile industry and with CBD flowers we’re able to focus on new clients in the cosmetics industry.”

“You still can’t sell CBD flowers commercially in Spain, however, so it’s our clients who decide the final product.”

*Noma Original in Mallorca in Spain’s Balearic Islands say they are the first farm to obtain a licence for cultivation of CBD flowers in Spain. Image: Noma Original.*

Laws in Spain only allow farmers to grow cannabis sativa or hemp under strict conditions.

These laws mean using EU-certified hemp seeds, ensuring the THC content of any substance is below 0.2%, and only selling seeds or stems – never the flower.

But Noma Original were able to get sound legal advice to receive the green light for local hemp production destined for selling CBD flowers.

“We stick to the rules of using EU-certified seeds, and we do our own analysis to ensure we are strictly following the law,” Nuño said.

Aside from selling CBD flowers from Mallorca, Noma Original also sells hemp biomass which has uses in the textile industry, bioconstruction and sound-proofing.

Nuño called this taking the plant ‘full circle’ to get maximum benefits from cultivation.

Though Noma has received lots of ‘interest’ for other hemp growers to join the cooperative Nuño said they are taking things ‘step by step’ to build a ‘solid’ base in the Balearic Islands.

The business’ vision includes giving local Mallorcans an alternative source of income aside from tourism.

The cooperative structure allows Noma Original to share knowledge with other cultivators while also securing buyers for plants and flowers and exploring traditional textile uses.

Furthermore Noma Organic promote an ‘organic’ approach to agriculture as hemp plants require few pesticides and grow well in poor soil.

The business calls itself a km0 company as all cultivation takes place on Mallorca.

*Nuño says cosmetics manufacturers are most interested in the Mallorca grown CBD plants and flowers. Image: Noma Originals.*

Is CBD legal in Spain?

Marijuana is one of the most complex plants to regulate the world over.

The short answer is: yes, CBD is legal in Spain.

Spain follows much of the EU’s guidance – requiring CBD products to contain under 0.2% THC – though it follows its own legal guidance on other matters.

For example, in Spain you can grow cannabis on private land so long as it’s not visible and for personal use.

But CBD is not marijuana, and it doesn’t get you high.

Farmers can grow hemp with low THC content on a large scale in Spain so long as they use EU-certified seeds, and only harvest the fibre and seeds.

Farmers need to apply for a special licence from the Spanish Agency for Medicines and health to grow hemp for CBD products, but this is the first known success story.

Laws still stipulate that products may only be applied externally – i.e. it’s still not fully legal to manufacture Spain-grown CBD flowers for use in vaping or in tinctures.

That’s why at Pure Organic CBD we use Swiss-grown organic cannabis plants to make our fully legal CBD oil we sell in Spain and the UK.