Hemp may be the saving grace for some of North Carolina's declining tobacco farms, so long as lawmakers can shake off their cannabis conundrum.
In states like North Carolina, where marijuana is illegal, it can be hard to regulate any part of the plant - including hemp, Indy Week reports.
The market is profitable for hemp, Indy Week reports, with more than 1,324 licensed, industrial hemp farms in North Carolina.
The state is attempting to pass Senate Bill 315 that would regulate many aspects of farming hemp but would also classify smokable hemp as illegal. This move to ban hemp that can be smoked, though it contains very little THC, could jeopardize many hemp farms in the region.
Indy Week reports that with the change in the law, there could be an increase in lawsuits and create huge problems for farms with acres and acres of smokable hemp.
The bill was referred to the Senate Rules Committee.
Alerts Sign-up