WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved industrial hemp licensing plans for Louisiana, Ohio and New Jersey. The states are the first to get such approval, though 34 other states have hemp research or pilot projects under a 2014 law.
The Ohio Department of Agriculture submitted its plan to the USDA on December 13. To produce hemp, growers must be licensed or authorized under the state's program.
Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill in July that allows for the cultivation of industrial hemp and legalizes the manufacture and sale of CBD products derived from the plant. The Ohio Farm Bureau says industrial hemp will give farmers another crop option and potential revenue stream that could offset "years of declining commodity prices."
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Louisiana's Agriculture and Forestry commissioner says he's pleased to be on track to issue licenses for the 2020 planting season.
The federal government legalized hemp last year. Hemp is related to and looks like marijuana but contains only traces of THC, the chemical in marijuana that gets people high.
Hemp fiber and seeds are used to produce textiles, rope, paper, cosmetics, fuel, and CBD, among other things.
You can read Ohio's hemp plan below:
