Hemp is coming to North Carolina. Are you ready?
North Carolina’s notoriously recalcitrant legislature just made a bold move: it legalized hemp. In a historic vote, the NC House voted 101-7 yesterday and the Senate voted 42-2 today to legalize industrial hemp. Governor McCrory is expected to sign the legislation into law in October.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 22 states have enacted laws related to hemp. NC’s new hemp law will bring the number to 23.
Hemp matters. A lot. Its fibers can be used to make fabrics, construction materials, and paper. Its cannabinoids, particularly CBD, have untapped medical possibilities. It is a renewable resource that is good for the soil, helpful to the environment, and a boon for the economy.
Fortunately (and not coincidentally), NC has the only large-scale commercial decorticator in the United States. (A decorticator is is a machine for stripping the skin, bark, or rind off nuts, wood, plant stalks, grain, etc., in preparation for further processing.) Located in Spring Hope, the NC hemp decorticator is inside a 70,000 square-foot facility on 9 acres. The decorticator can process large, or commercial quantities of hemp fiber. I recently spoke with Bruce Perlowin, CEO of Hemp, Inc. (owner of the machine), at the HempX festival in Asheville. Perlowin indicated that his company intends to incentivize hemp farming in NC by offering competitive pricing and wants to return manufacturing jobs to the depressed economy.
The new hemp law establishes a 5 member commission to promulgate rules regarding hemp production. Based on my conversations with industry professionals, we expect the first licenses to be issued in the spring of 2016. If you are interested in becoming involved in NC’s hemp industry I would like to hear from you. The law is evolving rapidly and you’ll want to make sure that your company is properly set up, compliant, and ready to apply for a license. I can help.
i am interested in acquiring a license to grow hemp what do i need to do?
I believe that having a hemp license in NC will be very valuable. As of this time there are no rules governing issuance of licenses. The law creates a 5 person commission to promulgate rules, including licensing. I’d be happy to meet with you to discuss how best to set yourself up from a business perspective to obtain a license. Would you like to set up a time to meet? (Contact me offline: [email protected])
I am very interested in farming hemp; am wanting acquire license to grow hemp. Also would like to network with others as well, those who want to grow, those who know how to grow.
Thanks for your comment, Johnny. I’m happy to be a resource for people who are seeking to connect about hemp in NC.
I would love and be honored to fully prepare myself along side with other Hemp supporters. Please contact me Via email on how I myself can invest and get started. Can’t wait to connect with others ready to produce something that can quite possibly save multiple industries and lives.
I would be more than interested in acquiring a license to farm hemp for my state. I think its been long overdue and that this new hemp law MIGHT get the ball rolling on medical legalization. I’m Interested in seeing what kind of revenue this could bring our state.
Thank you for commenting. Governor McCrory is expected to sign the bills into law within the month. Thereafter, a hemp commission will be set up to enact rules for growing hemp and manufacturing hemp-based products. You indicated an interest in medical cannabis. CBD oil, which is Federally illegal, and illegal under NC state law except in very limited situations, is expected to gain a major boost by this new law. I’d be happy to set up a time for us to meet. Please feel free to contact me directly: [email protected]
how can we get more information on the process and the requirements for acquisition of the license?
The licensing requirements have not yet been enacted, although we do know that the licensing fee will be $250 plus $2 per acre. The NC hemp law establishes a hemp commission to enact rules for growing hemp and manufacturing hemp-based products.I’d be happy to set up a time for us to meet. Please feel free to contact me directly: [email protected]
Mr. Kight, I am a NC resident & I’m extremely interested in acquiring a license… I would be most grateful & very appreciative of any information that you can get to me when it’s available to you.. I own a substantial amount of property and I would love to be able to get into the hemp industry.. Thank you so much for posting this information.
Thank you for commenting, George. The individuals on the 5 member commission that will promulgate the licensing rules has not yet been appointed so we don’t know the particulars. However, there are several Federal issues specific to hemp cultivation that you’ll want to be aware of, regardless of the specifics of NC’s rules. I would be happy to meet and discuss this with you. Why don’t you contact me offline: [email protected]
I am interested in becoming a hemp farmer as well. Please send me information
Thank you for contacting me. I’d be happy to discuss the new NC hemp law with you. You can contact me directly to discuss it: [email protected], or simply reply to the email I just sent. Have a great day.
How bout discussing the hemp law, HERE? .. why do you have to meet in private? What’s the secret? I’d like to grow a few hemp plants in my backyard, to supply me with CBD and the other non-psychoactive cannabinoid profile, for the year.. for medicinal purposes and as a health essential. Will Johnny Law come put me in a cage for not having one of your damned LICENSES, if I grow a few plants of industrial hemp in my backyard?? .. “legal”.. schmegal
Mr. Blow- Thank you for reading my blog and commenting. I appreciate your desire to grow hemp in your backyard for medical purposes. Unfortunately, our US Congress doesn’t see it that way and has put up substantial roadblocks. You didn’t mention the state in which you reside, so I can’t opine on what your local laws say on the subject. However, it’s currently illegal in all 50 states to grow hemp without complying with the 2014 US Farm Bill and your state’s laws governing hemp. So, while I understand your frustration about the current state of the law, it’s definitely not a good idea to grow hemp without complying with both Federal and State laws. If you decide to grow hemp without complying with them you run a definite risk of “Johnny Law” showing up and arresting you. As for your comment about “your damned licenses”, I don’t issue licenses. I only write about them and do my best to encourage and influence lawmakers to make laws that are rational, liberal, and in the best interests of the cannabis community. If you are interested in this subject I encourage you to learn all you can about the law. Finally, with respect to meeting in private, I write articles on this blog that provide general information on the state of the law regarding cannabis and cannabis business. It is a public service, a marketing tool, and a form of cannabis advocacy. In my law practice I meet with clients in private to discuss and assist with their specific questions and needs, all of which are confidential and beyond the scope of a general information blog. It is in the nature of the attorney-client relationship to address legal issues that are specific to the client, confidential, and based on an established relationship between individuals who know each other. A public blog is not suitable for any of those purposes. If you have any specific legal questions I would be happy to schedule a time to talk. You can reach me by going to the “contact me” button on the main page of the blog.
I’m interested in cashing in on hemp. The what do I need to do
Thanks for reading my blog. The hemp industry is growing (pun intended.) As for cashing in on it, I recommend that you pinpoint the knowledge and skills that you have which will best work in the hemp industry. Knowledge and experience in farming and/or botany is an obvious plus. Alternately, you may be good at marketing, sales, finance, or some other aspect of business. Perhaps you enjoy chemistry and would best connect with a lab? The hemp industry, like any other robust industry, is full of people who bring their particular knowledge and skills. I’d be happy to discuss this with you once you’ve identified what you can bring to the industry. Good luck!