By John Gutekunst | Parker Pioneer
You’ve probably heard there are plans to build a big hemp processing plant in Parker South. This plant promises to bring close to 100 jobs to our area. There are some misconceptions out there about hemp, what it is, and what it does. With that in mind, we’d like to answer some questions regarding hemp, and why it could be a useful crop for Arizona.
What is hemp? Isn’t it marijuana?
That’s the main misconception that needs to be cleared up. Hemp is not marijuana. They are both of the cannabis family, but they are not the same. Hemp does not contain the levels of THC that give marijuana its “high.”
Hemp was removed from the definition of marijuana under the 2018 Farm Bill that was signed by President Donald Trump. While hemp has some THC in it, the levels are tightly regulated by federal law. To qualify as hemp, its THC content may be no higher than .03 percent. Anything higher than that is considered marijuana.
“Just as this article explains, hemp is far more than just CBD. The uses for this historically misunderstood crop are endless, and we expect this industry to grow significantly in 2020.”
