“Unfortunately, our numbers have dropped dramatically… In 2018, everyone wanted to grow hemp.”
By Merrilee gasser, The Center Square
Oklahoma legislators are examining whether the production of industrial hemp would be beneficial to rural development.
After the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill by Congress, hemp was declassified as a Schedule I drug and industrial hemp was removed from the Controlled Substances Act.
According to Kenny Naylor of the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, despite the initial enthusiasm, interest has declined since 2018.
Naylor , a member of the Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, told on Monday that “unfortunately our numbers are way down.” In 2018, everyone wanted to grow hemp.
Oklahoma currently has 21 hemp growers licensed and 22 hemp processors licensed.
Naylor says that, aside from the saturation of the CBD industry and the limited processing capabilities, which both have cooled interest in hemp cultivation, there were other factors, such as bad timing.
Naylor said, “I think COVID-19 came at a bad time and caused problems.” “And for Oklahoma, specifically, people turned to marijuana.”
Naylor says that initially, it was cheaper to obtain a license to grow medical cannabis. However, he does not believe this is still the case.
Anyone who wants to grow hemp outside in Oklahoma will have to pay $500 when they fill out the application. They’ll also need $5 per acre and 33 cents per square foot if growing indoors. The fee for processing the license is between $1,000 and $5,000. According to Naylor, the amount that an applicant pays depends on their estimated sales.
Naylor explained that the money was used to “maintain our program here in the State” and run the program.
Sen. Roland Pederson, R-Oklahoma City, one of the senators that requested the study said hemp appeared to be a possible alternative crop which could easily be grown in Oklahoma because of the state’s weather.
Oklahoma produced a large amount of hemp at one point. Pederson said that hemp was produced across the country. “But because of its characteristics that were in conflict with marijuana, it was outlawed. It was then wiped off the map until the Farm Bill of 2018, which allowed hemp to be grown again. “I think it has a bright future.”
Oklahoma Department of Agriculture also projects that the pendulum will swing back to hemp.
Naylor said, “We expect or are at least beginning to see certain things that could look like a shift from medical marijuana to hemp farming. One of these is cost.”
Jerry Alvord, R-Oklahoma City, asked where hemp demand would come from.
Alvord: “I am struggling to understand the void that hemp fills in agricultural products today, particularly,” said Alvord. What are we lacking that hemp will replace?
Naylor stated that hemp could be used as a source of plastic which would help to produce more sustainable products.
It’s also a very durable fibre. Naylor stated that this is one of the main reasons they used it in World War II.
This story was originally published by The Center Square
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Photo by Brendan Cleak.
The post Oklahoma Hemp Production is ‘Way down,’ and Lawmakers Are Considering Expansion first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
