{"id":"F2018L00763","name":"Customs (Prohibited Imports) (Importation of Hemp Seeds and Hemp Derived Products) Approval 2018","slug":"customs-prohibited-imports-importation-of-hemp-seeds-and-hemp-derived-products-approval-2018","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":439643,"registerId":"F2018L00763-fast-fetch-1775955591702","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-12","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Customs (Prohibited Imports) (Importation of Hemp Seeds and Hemp Derived Products) Approval 2018","content":"---\nmeta-content-style-type: text/css\nmeta-content-type: application/xhtml+xml; charset=utf-8\nmeta-generator: Aspose.Words for .NET 22.10.0\n---\n\n?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\" standalone=\"no\"?>\n\n![Commonwealth Coat of Arms of Australia](image.001.jpeg)\n\n \n\nCustoms (Prohibited Imports) (Importation of Hemp Seeds and Hemp Derived Products) Approval 2018\n\nI, Angus Taylor, Minister for Law Enforcement and Cyber Security, make the following approval.\n\nDated    6 June 2018\n\nAngus Taylor\n\nMinister for Law Enforcement and Cyber Security\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nContents\n\n1 Name\n\n2 Commencement\n\n3 Authority\n\n4 Definitions\n\n5 Approval of importation of hulled hemp seeds etc.\n\n1  Name\n\n  This instrument is the Customs (Prohibited Imports) (Importation of Hemp Seeds and Hemp Derived Products) Approval 2018.\n\n2  Commencement\n\n (1) Each provision of this instrument specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.\n\n \n\n- Commencement information\n- Column 1 Column 2 Column 3\n- Provisions Commencement Date/Details\n- 1. The whole of this instrument The day after this instrument is registered. 13 June 2018\n\n\nNote: This table relates only to the provisions of this instrument as originally made. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this instrument.\n\n (2) Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this instrument. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this instrument.\n\n3  Authority\n\n  This instrument is made under subregulation 5(3) of the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956.\n\n4  Definitions\n\n  In this instrument:\n\ndrug has the same meaning as in subregulation 5(20) of the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956.\n\nhemp fibre means the fibre of a plant of the genus Cannabis but does not include the leaves, seeds or flowers of the plant.\n\nhemp seed meal means the meal or flour obtained from the grinding or milling of hemp seeds.\n\nhemp seed oil means the oil obtained by cold expression from ripened hemp seeds.\n\nhemp seeds means the seeds from a plant of the genus Cannabis if the leaves and flowering heads of the plant do not contain more than 1% total tetrahydrocannabinol content.\n\nhulled hemp seeds means hemps seeds that have had their outer coat or hull removed.\n\ntotal cannabidiol content means the total amount of cannabidiol and cannabidiolic acid.\n\ntotal tetrahydrocannabinol content means the total amount of delta‑9‑tetrahydrocannabinol and delta‑9‑tetrahydrocannabinolic acid.\n\nunhulled hemp seeds means hemp seeds that are not hulled hemp seeds.\n\n5  Approval of importation of hulled hemp seeds etc.\n\n  The following drugs are approved for importation into Australia:\n\n (a) hulled hemp seeds;\n\n (b) hemp seed meal;\n\n (c) hemp fibre;\n\n (d) hemp seed oil if:\n\n (i) the total cannabidiol content of the oil is 75 mg/kg or less; and\n\n (ii) the total tetrahydrocannabinol content of the oil is 50 mg/kg or less;\n\n (e) a product that contains or consists of hulled hemp seeds, or that contains ingredients extracted or derived from hemp seeds, if:\n\n (i) the product does not contain another drug; and\n\n (ii) the product does not contain any other parts (including unhulled hemp seeds) of, or extracts from parts (except hemp seeds) of, a plant of the genus Cannabis; and\n\n (iii) the total cannabidiol content of the product is 75 mg/kg or less; and\n\n (iv) the total tetrahydrocannabinol content of the product is 50 mg/kg or less.\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The instrument maintains its original narrow purpose: permitting importation of specific low-THC hemp products while maintaining the prohibition on other cannabis-related imports. The scope has not expanded beyond this specific carve-out from the prohibited imports regime."},"complexity_factors":["Short instrument with only 5 operative sections","8 defined terms, all straightforward and chemically specific","Single operative provision (section 5) with a simple list structure","Clear numerical thresholds (75 mg/kg CBD, 50 mg/kg THC, 1% THC in plant material)","No cross-references to other legislation beyond the basic authority provision and one definition reference","No nested exceptions or conditional logic beyond simple 'if' qualifiers in paragraphs (d) and (e)"],"plain_english_summary":"This approval allows specific low-THC hemp products to be legally imported into Australia — hulled hemp seeds, hemp seed meal/flour, hemp fibre, hemp seed oil and foods containing hulled hemp seed/extracts — provided they meet strict cannabinoid limits (THC ≤50 mg/kg, CBD ≤75 mg/kg) and don’t include leaves, flowers or other controlled parts.\n\nIt matters to importers, food businesses, farmers and consumers because it lifts a previous effective ban, enabling a legal hemp food and processing industry."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The instrument itself sets out conditional approvals for specified hemp-derived imports as a matter of law. The text does not indicate any amendment to, or departure from, a prior approval's intended scope; it prescribes the import permissions and limits in force on commencement."},"complexity_factors":["Technical definitions and distinctions between product types (s4) — e.g. hulled vs unhulled hemp seeds; hemp seed oil; hemp fibre.","Numeric contaminant thresholds expressed in mg/kg for total cannabidiol and total tetrahydrocannabinol (s5(d)(i)-(ii), s5(e)(iii)-(iv)).","Conditional approvals with multiple cumulative requirements (s5(e)(i)-(iv)) which must all be satisfied for market access.","Cross-reference to an external regulatory instrument for the statutory authority and for the defined term 'drug' (s3; s4 references subregulation 5(20) of the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956), requiring readers to consult another instrument.","Enforcement and compliance ambiguity — the instrument specifies limits but does not set sampling, testing standards, or enforcement procedures (implicit compliance/testing burden).","Exclusions that depend on product composition (no other parts of Cannabis allowed) create supply-chain and labelling verification requirements (s5(e)(ii)).","Relatively narrow subject-matter scope, but technical measurement and proof obligations increase practical complexity for importers and customs."],"plain_english_summary":"This instrument authorises the importation of specific hemp-derived items (hulled hemp seeds, hemp seed meal, hemp fibre, certain hemp seed oil and products containing hulled hemp seeds) that would otherwise be prohibited, subject to defined composition limits and exclusions. It affects importers, suppliers and customs officials by replacing a blanket prohibition with conditional approvals tied to measurable cannabinoid limits and to whether other cannabis parts or other drugs are present."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/customs-prohibited-imports-importation-of-hemp-seeds-and-hemp-derived-products-approval-2018","history":"/api/acts/customs-prohibited-imports-importation-of-hemp-seeds-and-hemp-derived-products-approval-2018/history","analysis":"/api/acts/customs-prohibited-imports-importation-of-hemp-seeds-and-hemp-derived-products-approval-2018/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/customs-prohibited-imports-importation-of-hemp-seeds-and-hemp-derived-products-approval-2018/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/customs-prohibited-imports-importation-of-hemp-seeds-and-hemp-derived-products-approval-2018/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/customs-prohibited-imports-importation-of-hemp-seeds-and-hemp-derived-products-approval-2018/documents"}}