ANN ARBOR – In December 2018, the Farm Bill was signed into law, and with it growing industrial hemp was legalized nationwide. The Farm Bill also bolstered a practice area for The Hemp Law Group, powered by J. Colton Legal.
“We have been working with people in the Hemp space for two-and-a-half years,” Colton said. “We’ve worked with people in Colorado for years.”
In an interview with MIMarijuanaReport.Com, Colton said his legal professionals are incredibly knowledgeable about the ever-changing laws both on the federal, state, and local levels as it relates to the growing, selling, and processing of industrial hemp.
He said HLG can guide farmers on all the legal aspects of doing business in the hemp and CBD industry, and has developed unique connections in the industry to help farmers with all their business needs.
A year later, Colton said at least 40 states now have Hemp cultivation and the other 10 states are expected to follow suit in 2020. In Michigan, farmers have filed applications to cultivate some 15,000 acres with some 25 percent cultivated in 2019 alone.
But growing industrial hemp has a steep learning curve, he said. Many farmers growing other agricultural crops have expressed interest in growing industrial hemp, but he said it is a much different process from genetics, to planting methods, to pest and weed control.
Normal weed killer can’t be used for hemp grown for CBD products because the plant absorbs the weed killer from the soil and then the CBD becomes contaminated for human use, Colton said.
What are the top questions he answers from farmers?
What is legal?
Where are the THC (active ingredient in marijuana) thresholds?
What happens if hemp THC values rise above the legal threshold of 0.3 percent?
“Hemp farmers need to be
aware of this thresehold,” Colton said.
“If a Marijuana plant THC level is suppose to be 16 percent, but comes back during
testing at 17 percent, it’s not the end of world. But if Hemp is off by 1
percent, it becomes the difference between something you can harvest or something
you have to destroy. So my advice is take samples early and often.”
He also advises farmers starting out, especially those without cannabis experience, to start small scale. Hemp farming is expensive. Typically about $7,500 per acre. And if farmers have a bad seed strain, they could get 40 percent male plants, which could make the field flower, thus destroying the crop. That why he says doing your due diligence is critical.
“A lot of people are doing a money grab now,” Colton said. “Most farmers are so new they don’t know what questions to ask. You need experienced professionals to guide you.“
For more information on https://jcoltonlegal.com/