Connecticut Hemp Industry Association Works to Revive Rural Economy

A brand-new association aims to revitalize Connecticuts rural economy with hemp, a crop now allowed to be grown under federal law that had been previously prohibited in the United States for more than 70 years. To fully legalize cultivation, the state needs to pass legislation allowing for the growing of hemp and submit an enforcement plan to the USDA. That process is underway.

The reason it is called the Connecticut Hemp Industry Association is that we are trying to support an industry in Connecticut that includes farmers, extractors, manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, retail stores and more, says Jeff Wentzel, a founder and board member of the association. The key is to revive rural economies and really help the agricultural industry in the state. Hemp can be a huge boon to Connecticut.

The Connecticut Hemp Industry Association formally launched in February 2019, following the legalization of hemp production in the 2018 Farm Bill. The permitting and licensing of hemp production is the associations top priority in 2019. The term hemp means the plant Cannabis sativa L. and any part of that plant, including the seeds thereof and all derivatives, extracts, cannabinoids, isomers, acids, salts, and salts of isomers, whether growing or not, with a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentration of not more than .3 percent on a dry weight basis.
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