DENVER (AP) — Hemp registration opened for farmers
Saturday in Colorado, the first state to start regulating industrial
hemp since the federal government allowed limited hemp regulation.
A
handful of Colorado farmers grew industrial hemp last year without
interference from law enforcement or state agriculture officials. But
the opening Saturday of Colorado’s industrial-hemp registry is the first
opportunity for farmers to comply with licensure requirements through a
state Department of Agriculture.
Hemp farmers will have to submit
to state inspections to make sure they’re not growing the plant’s
psychoactive cousin, marijuana.
The state Agriculture Department
warned aspiring hemp farmers that they may still jeopardize separate
farm loans and crop insurance if they grow hemp. In an announcement to
farmers last week, the department urged farmers to contact a lawyer
before proceeding.
Pesticide rules for regulated hemp haven’t been
finalized, but the department told farmers to expect guidance on
"extremely limited" pesticide options soon.
A new federal Farm
Bill passed this year allows 10 states that permit hemp programs to
regulate the crop. Previously, permission from the federal Drug
Enforcement Administration was required to grow hemp, though finished
hemp has always been legal.
A handful of hemp farmers and enthusiasts marked the opening Saturday with a gathering at a library in
Boulder.
Veronica Carpio, an Erie woman who owns Colorado Hemp Coffee, said the celebration would include hemp
seeds and plants for sale.
"We’re laying a new foundation for a new industry," Carpio told the Daily Camera newspaper.
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Online:
Colorado hemp registry: www.colorado.gov/ag/dpi
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