The North Carolina Industrial Hemp Commission will hold a public meeting ” to review and approve program applications.”
This meeting is open to the public. Join the conference call on Tuesday, October 26, 2021, at 2pm, via computer, telephone, smart phone, or other device. Access to the conference call at go.ncsu.edu/industrialhemp or call 929.205.6099 or 699.900.6833.
The meeting ID is 971-3270-6735 and the passcode is 443965. Participants will be prompted to enter their name and email address to enter the meeting via the website, or prompted for unique participant ID for the call (press # to access the call).
Hemp growing in North Carolina has been managed under the agricultural Pilot Program. Farmers apply to grow and must meet the state requirements. Permits must be approved before a person/entity can grow hemp; however, recently announced changes will end the pilot program and end the state’s hemp permit system. Starting with the 2022 growing season, USDA permits will be required instead of NC managing growers.
See more about the state’s Industrial Hemp Pilot Program at www.ncagr.gov/hemp.
The NC General Assembly passed Senate Bill 313 in 2015, allowing the creation of the Industrial Hemp Commission to develop the rules and licensing structure necessary to stay within federal laws. The Industrial Hemp Commission adopted temporary rules in February 2017, setting up the application requirements and process.
________
Hemp, a no high (low THC) cousin of marijuana, and is a highly-useful plant. It is legal to grow hemp at the Federal level, but in NC a Permit is required (as mentioned above, the permits will be USDA issued instead of NC issued for 2022).
Products that can be made from hemp include building materials, oils, medicines, food, fiber, and health-and-beauty products. Hemp use for products such as toilet paper and hemp “lumber” could potentially save trees/forests by reducing logging and destruction. Hemp plants can also be used to “clean” some contaminants/pollutants from soil.
Hemp’s medicinal uses are being studied, more since restrictions relaxed and hemp was made legal nationally, with hope for applications/treatment for a wide variety of human and animal health issues/diseases.
Source: NCDA&CS
Ed. Note: Hemp information added by editor.
