By now you have likely heard the buzz about Hemp becoming legal in Ohio. While it is now legal to grow hemp in the State of Ohio there are still rules and restrictions to understand as well as licenses to obtain before planting. Most importantly the difference between marijuana and hemp most be determined, as growing recreational marijuana is still illegal in the state of Ohio. Hemp and marijuana are both forms of cannabis, differentiated by their levels of THC, the compound that causes the intoxicating affect of marijuana. Hemp has THC levels of less than 3% while marijuana is usually above 10%. Hemp is grown for its use a fiber, for its seed and for the use of the cannibidoil or CBD oil that is used for food and medicinal purposes.

In order to begin growing hemp you must obtain a license from the Ohio Department of Agriculture, theses licenses are not yet available but are expected to be available before the Spring 2020 planting season. There will also be a seperate license for the processing of the plants. The license along with the growing guidelines will be made available by the Ohio Department of Agriculture and the information will be available here.  If growing hemp sounds like something you may be interested in I encourage you to check out OSU Extensions Growing Hemp in Ohio conference on January 24th in Wooster. More information about the conference and registration can be found here.

As always if you have any questions, comments or concerns feel free to reach out to me by phone (740) 596-5212 or by email bowen.279@osu.edu