Starting in the Spring of 2022, we will be one of the first farms in New England to legally grow hemp – thanks to the Hemp Farming Act of 2018, and permission from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Is it hard to get a license to grow hemp?

There is a simple application with a very slow turn around time. Applicants have to be fingerprinted and furnish a current FBI criminal record check. And, there are a lot of rules to follow to keep a hemp license. To maintain compliance, licensed hemp farmers must closely adhere to the USDA’s “final rule” titled “Establishment of a Domestic Hemp Production Program.” One of the requirements is that the hemp crop must be tested at specific intervals before harvest – and contain no more than .3% total delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (also known as delta-9 THC). USDA licensed hemp growers are subject to strict requirements on defining and reporting exactly where they grow hemp, called a “plot.” Every hemp plot must be on file with the local county USDA Farm Service Area office, and receives an official identification number associated with the grower’s license number. Legal hemp growers are also subject to annual inspections and audits administered by the USDA on a random basis. Obviously, an important goal of the USDA’s hemp program is to keep out growers who would use a hemp growing license as a cover for an illegal marijuana grow operation.

Can a person get high smoking hemp?

While hemp has many historical uses, including fiber for rope, smoking hemp has only become “a thing” in recent years. A naturally occurring chemical within the plant called Cannabidiol (CBD) is the reason. Smoking (or cooking with) hemp flower or “bud” from specially selected strains of hemp with high CBD is increasingly popular. With THC content of .03% or less, it would be very difficult to “get high” or “stoned” smoking (or ingesting) hemp.

If smoking hemp doesn’t result in a high, then why would anyone do it?

Most informed consumers of hemp are only after the CBD content. They smoke CBD/hemp in pursuit of CBD’s purported health benefits. Fortunately, it is possible to enjoy CBD while avoiding the personal, professional, and legal consequences that sometimes result from using the psychoactive drug ∆⁹-THC.