LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky company says it has developed hemp plants that don't contain any THC, which is marijuana's main psychoactive component.
The Courier Journal reports the Monday announcement by GenCanna Global was hailed by the company and University of Kentucky researchers as a breakthrough in the global hemp industry. State growers and processors have struggled to keep trace amounts of THC out of natural variations in the plants that produce CBD oil and other products.
The federal 2018 Farm Bill signed into law in December removed industrial hemp from the Controlled Substances Act. But it didn't change the legal THC standard, requiring the state agricultural department to destroy "hot hemp" plants.
GenCanna plans to patent this plant material.
Kentucky's industrial hemp initiative posted record sales of $50 million last year.
