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Restore your basic nature.
Freshly harvested hemp rests by a workstation at George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate. Read more on page 37.
editor’s note
This harvest season, we’re thankful for hemp’s resurgence and for the work that farmers have done to help the plant thrive again.
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hemp industry feels like a predominantly friendly place, full of opportunity, collaboration, and experimentation between individuals looking to improve the health of the planet and its inhabitants and maybe make some money along the way. Sure, the lack of federal regulation means there’s a dearth of quality lab testing for hempderived CBD oil (pg. 45), and plenty of unchecked, misleading claims circulating about the healing power of hemp (pg. 83). But small cultivators, including those contributor K. Astre spoke to at Colorado’s Shi Farms, are thriving — and more importantly, setting an example regarding what regenerative hemp farming practices can look like (pg. 62). As momentum reaches a crescendo behind the federal hemp legalization movement, we don’t want to let this moment go by without acknowledging that it is special. Harvest has come and gone. The flowers have been hung up to dry, the seeds hulled and pressed. Spring may bring with it a new federal hemp economy, or it may not. Either way, right now, we’re thankful for the hemp community and everything it’s built.
Julia Clark-Riddell Managing Editor, HEMP
PHOTO BEN DROZ
paradox of prohibition I find myself thinking about each harvest season: It’s perhaps because the federal government has considered hemp to be an illegal and dangerous crop for decades that, today, many people treat the plant with such special reverence. Of course, hemp has so many inherent merits that it certainly would be appreciated without help from government-sponsored scarcity. But I still believe the “you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone” phenomenon is a contributing factor to the current enthusiasm around hemp. In 2018, the hemp harvest is more than a culmination of hard work and a reaping of resources, it’s a resurrection. To capture this idea quite literally, our contributing editor Ben Droz spent a day on George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate to witness the land’s first hemp harvest in decades, which was brought back via the lobbying efforts of a local hemp farmer (pg. 37). America’s reignited cultural appreciation for this versatile plant also features heavily in our cover story from associate editor Joel Hathaway, who dove into Montana’s traditional agriculture sector to speak with farmers now embracing hemp as a commodity crop (pg. 48). In this issue, we’re also focused on appreciating the current moment in the hemp industry before it’s gone. Over the past few years, state pilot programs have allowed small farmers and local businesses to gain a foothold in the hemp industry. Right now, the THERE’S A CERTAIN
ISSUE FIVE
In northern Montana, farmer Colby Johnson stands next to part of 2018’s record hemp harvest. Read more on page 48.
features
THE FUTURE OF GMO HEMP 32
With hemp production and consumption on the rise, how much will genetic engineering play into hemp’s development as a commodity crop? By Annie Rouse A HARVEST ON MOUNT VERNON REPLANTS HISTORY 37 The land of America’s founding fathers sprouts hemp again. By Ben Droz COVER FEATURE THE NEW FACES OF HEMP: TRADITIONAL AG BETS BIG IN MONTANA 48
In 2018, Montana farmers planted roughly 6,000 percent more hemp acreage than they did in 2017. The people behind the surge are using different methods than — and generally don’t have the same experiences as — your typical hemp cultivators. As harvest season arrives, however, success for these farmers is far from guaranteed. SHI FARMS: STEWARDS OF SUSTAINABILITY 62
Colorado-based Shi Farms has spent the past year scaling up and expanding to new climates, but one constant remains: Water and sunshine are all their hemp plants need. By K. Astre
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PHOTO ANDREW MARTIN
By Joel Hathaway
ISSUE FIVE
A New Belgium brewer, Kelly McKnight, works on a new beer batch in Fort Collins, CO.
contents
EDITOR’S NOTE 04 CORRECTION:
An update on USDA organic regulations for hemp farmers. 11 industry
STATE OF HEMP: BANKING ON BARR 13
THE RISE OF HEMP BEER 26
Kentucky Congressman Andy Barr talks hemp legalization and the need for banking reform in the hemp industry. WHAT EPIDIOLEX MEANS FOR THE HEMP INDUSTRY 17
The first medication containing CBD has been approved by the FDA, but whether various government agencies can get on the same page regarding over-the-counter CBD supplements remains up in the air. CATEGORIZING CANNABIS: SCIENCE-BASED ALTERNATIVES TO THE “HEMP VS. MARIJUANA” CONVERSATION 20
As our knowledge of the plant expands, there’s a growing sense that our taxonomical classification of its varieties should follow suit.
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Craft breweries throughout the U.S. are sidestepping legal barriers to create beers featuring hemp, touting its taste, aroma, and efficaciousness. PLAYING THE PERCENTAGES: LAB TESTING IN THE HEMP CBD OIL INDUSTRY 45
Both consumers and producers often struggle when it comes to testing, verifying, and owning hemp-derived products with trace levels of THC. While industry testing is common, it isn’t required, which presents difficulties for some consumers. A SHORT, SHORT HISTORY OF HEMP IN WARTIME 59
It’s not all durable paper and facial oils. GIFT GUIDE 68
This year’s treasured HEMP wearables, carriables, and curiosities.
A POLISH PALACE GIVES A NEW HOME TO EASTERN EUROPEAN HEMP 79
Much of Europe has been legally cultivating hemp for far longer than American producers, but it’s still stumbling on many of the same issues as the United States hemp industry. HOW TO USE HEMP TO FIX ANYTHING 83
Or: How NOT to talk about CBD. HOLIDAY HEMP RECIPE: PECAN & HEMP PUMPKIN CRUMBLE PIE 84
Hemp gets a holiday makeover and a place at the dessert table in this nutrient-dense twist on a classic. HEMP SPOTLIGHT 86
A hobby farmer experiments with hemp, and more from our website.
PHOTO COURTESY NEW BELGIUM BREWING
politics
Jaime Ritterer of Montana Hemp Co takes to the tractor half way through this year’s hemp harvest. For more on Montana Hemp Co and the rise of the hemp hobby farmer, visit www.thehempmag.com
Publisher
Eugenio Garcia Art Director
Todd Heath Managing Editor
Julia Clark-Riddell Associate Editor
Joel Hathaway Copy Editor
Katie Way Contributing Editor
Ben Droz Account Executives
Lindsey Mandelbaum Shelby Nelson Jason Rosenberg Advertising
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editorial@ thehempmag.com Stay Connected
facebook.com/hempmagazine instagram.com/hempmag twitter.com/hempmag CONTRIBUTORS
Dan Armstrong K. Astre Mitchell Colbert Ryan Garcia A.J. Herrington Robin A. W. Kelley
Kristen Kuchar Taylor Kent Andrew Martin Kit O’Connell Annie Rouse Liz Schoch
On the Cover
Colby Johnson stands in his forest of 13-feet-tall hemp, which included approximately 38 million hemp plants in 2018, on his farm near Conrad, MT. H E M P. C O
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HEMP TODAY MEDIA, LLC
PHOTO ANDREW MARTIN
Photo by Andrew Martin
CORRECTION:
USDA O R GA N I C R E GU L AT I O NS F OR H E MP FA R ME R S
we covered the struggles facing hemp farmers across America who are looking to get officially accredited as organic. In the article, titled “Organic Hemp Revolution’s Many Battles,” we wrongly asserted that hemp farms cannot receive the USDA organic seal without the USDA’s approval. In truth, if a state-compliant hemp farm in the United States is certified by an accredited certifying agent as organic, they can display the USDA organic seal on their products. Sam Welsch, the founder of the organic accrediting agency OneCert, is quoted in the article about OneCert’s work to grant hemp farms with organic certification. He recently spoke with HEMP to clarify the USDA’s organic hemp regulations. According to Welsch, American manufacturers have been certified to process and package organic hemp food products since 2004. Following the passage of the 2014 Farm Bill, which opened the door to domestic hemp farming in the United States for the first time since World War II, the USDA released no official rules around certifying organic hemp farming. It was in this regulatory atmosphere that Welsch’s OneCert granted certification for growing organic hemp to a farm in Colorado, CBDRx, in the fall of 2015. However, in February 2016, the USDA issued the first version of its Instruction 2040, which asked certifiers not to certify American hemp farmers as organic. This version of Instruction 2040 didn’t retract organic seals already granted to hemp farmers like CBDRx, as long as they continued to comply with USDA organic regulations. Then, in August 2016, the USDA updated their policy and issued a new version of Instruction 2040, which allowed organic hemp grown in states with an industrial hemp agricultural pilot research program to be certified organic. “Such certification entitles operations to use the USDA organic seal,” says Welsch. “It is only USDA policy, not USDA organic regulations, that limits the certification of organic hemp crops to those states with an industrial hemp agricultural pilot research program.” Thus, it is perfectly legal now for hemp farms participating in state pilot programs to be certified as organic by accrediting agencies and to display the organic USDA label on their product. HEMP apologies for the mistake and hopes all farmers pursuing organic accreditation find their path smoother than we portrayed in Issue 4. — Julia Clark-Riddell IN ISSUE 4,
#hempmag 11
“ We n e e d t o s a y t o t h e b ank in g r e g ula t or s , t h e Far m C r e di t Administration, and the Credit Union Administration that lending for legal hemp businesses should not be subject to any excessive scrutiny.” - A N D Y B A R R
clothing manufacturing, for auto manufacturing, and other uses. We do have a difficult situation in Kentucky right now with respect to an opioid addiction epidemic and so law enforcement continues to weigh in on recreational marijuana in opposition to that, but nevertheless, I think it’s important to not conflate the two debates. Because ... I think advocates of legalization of marijuana and opponents of legalization of marijuana can come together on this issue. That is, the need to permanently legalize low-THC cannabis — industrial hemp — for all kinds of purposes. In fact, the hemp industry has so much potential for future expansion, because it can be used in so many products. HEMP: You represent the heart of hemp country and you’ve got some constituents growing hemp. What does it mean to them? Andy Barr: Well, of course, my area was known, not just for
bourbon and horses. It was known for many, many years as the capital of burley tobacco. Well, as smoking cessation programs have gone into place, as demand for tobacco has declined, both globally and domestically, many of our burley producers are looking for ways to diversify their agriculture operations. Of course, industrial hemp is a natural way in which tobacco farmers can look to other types of products, other types of commodities to continue their farming. HEMP: We’re really excited about the Industrial Hemp Banking Act. What needs to happen for that bill to gain traction, or will we need it at all if hemp becomes federally legal? Andy Barr: Well, I think we will still need it. It may be belts and
suspenders, of course. I’m a co-sponsor of the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2017, introduced in the House by Congressman Comer, our former agricultural commissioner in Kentucky who was a champion of our pilot program in Kentucky. We do need to de-schedule industrial hemp, low-THC cannabis, because, again, it doesn’t represent the kind of drugs that are also represented on the Controlled Substances Act list. So, I believe we need the Industrial Hemp Farming Act to provide legal clarity for industrial hemp — for Kentucky and for other states — for pilot programs, for research, and for further commercialization of industrial hemp. But I also believe we need the Industrial Hemp Banking Act, the bill that I introduced as a member of the House Financial Services Committee. What we’re doing with this bill is we’re making sure we have some legal clarity and a legal safe harbor for banks, credit unions, and lenders, including the farm credit agencies that are regulated by the Farm Credit Administration. We need to say to the banking regulators, the Farm Credit Administration, and the
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Credit Union Administration that lending for legal hemp businesses should not be subject to any excessive scrutiny. We certainly do not want to choke off access to banking services or financial services for these businesses that are operating legally, producing a legal crop, and conducting a legal business. Unfortunately, some of these bank regulators and financial regulators conflate legal hemp with illicit marijuana. I know some states are experimenting with different laws with respect to marijuana, but at least with respect to industrial hemp, you have a nationwide, federally authorized program for industrial hemp, and therefore, federal banking regulators and the federal Farm Credit Administration should be explicitly directed to allow for banks, credit unions, and other lenders to offer credit for these hemp businesses. HEMP: Absolutely. What does it feel like to be a hemp supporter on Capitol Hill today, now that there is so much momentum? Andy Barr: It’s really exciting. I mean, I think it’s an educational
process on both sides of the aisle. I think many law-and-orderoriented members of Congress have had pause, have wanted to learn more about this, or have been a little skeptical, because of the natural connection to other kinds of cannabis plants, which are illegal in some states. So, there’s an education process to explain to members who are strongly opposed to legalization of marijuana, that hey, you can hold that position, but you don’t have to hold a position that all cannabis should be illegal. Frankly, other Americans are surprised to learn the amazing potential of hemp and all the different uses and applications for hemp. You know, just right down the road from many of the hemp farms in Kentucky is the Toyota Motor manufacturing plant, the largest auto manufacturing facility in the world for Toyota. They produce a lot of cars, and guess what? In cars, there is a lot of need for manufacturing materials for the interiors of those vehicles. Hemp turns out to be a terrific potential use for interiors of vehicles. So, the opportunities for industrial hemp are significant. Of course, CBD is where a lot of the profit center is right now, but there are other uses as well. In fact, one of the reasons I think Congressman Jim Himes from Connecticut is joining with me is that in Connecticut is a lot of high fashion and apparel manufacturing. I think folks up in that area recognize the potential in fashion and in clothing design to use hemp as a textile. Hemp has so much potential, not just to improve the lives of every day Americans, but to provide jobs and economic activity as well for many. I’m looking forward to continuing our advocacy, both on the banking act and to permanently legalize industrial hemp.
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