Thieves in Australia this past weekend stole soem hemp plants from a farmer. Although it seems likely the work of people who mistook the hemp for marijuana (or want to pass it off as such), there is a possibility that they knew exactly what they were doing. Apparently, the stolen plants were a specialized breed. As News=-Mail.com.au reports:
Agrifibre Industries chief executive officer Jim Hall said the plants, which went missing on Saturday morning, were a new variation of the hemp plant which would have been worth $500,000 when they were fully developed.
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“I don’t think they understand what they have stolen I think they are just brain-dead,” he said.
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He said the plants had been harvested for generations to find the best specimen for the business.
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“Basically what they’ve done is put us back about six months with that project,” Mr Hall said.
The culprits could have been interested in stealing the plants to use the rare variation to develop hemp products, Mr Hall said.
If that is the case, and Mr Hall eventually gets breeding rights, the thieves could be fined up to $1 million.
It would, indeed, be interesting if the thieves were after the industrial potential of the plant. If that is the case, I hope the authorities do catch them. Perhaps the story, however, will help raise hemp awareness down under.