Kentucky

Kentucky’s hemp industry saw more than $16.7 million in gross product sales last year, which led to $7.5 million for hemp farmers and created 81 new full-time jobs, the Louisville Courier-Journal reports. The figures, outlined in a letter by state Agricultural Commissioner Ryan Quarles to Kentucky’s Senators, further bolster Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s legislative […]

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnel (R-KY) announced a bill on Monday that would legalize industrial hemp as an agricultural product, according to a report by The Hill.  The bill — dubbed the Hemp Farming Act of 2018 — has bipartisan support, with Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) both listed as co-sponsors for the legislation. […]

A medical cannabis bill in Kentucky has been stalled by the House Judiciary Committee but rather than reject the measure, the panel has left the option open to reconsider the legislation this session, the Courier Journal reports. Rep. Jason Nemes said if the committee had voted on the measure it would have been defeated, but […]

Medical cannabis legislation has been introduced in the Kentucky House of Representatives by state Reps John Sims and Alan Gentry, the Ledger Independent reports. The measure would establish excise taxes of 10 percent for a cultivator, processor, or producer selling directly to a compassion center; taxes of 5 percent for a cultivator, processor, or producer […]

Kentucky’s Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes has formed a task force to study a legislative proposal to legalize medical cannabis and to look at the implementation and regulatory processes involved. “Too many Kentuckians are suffering from debilitating physical and mental illnesses. Most have lived with the effects of these illnesses for years. We must […]

The Kentucky Department of Agriculture is accepting applications for its 2018 industrial hemp research pilot program and seeking public comments on program’s preliminary draft rules. Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles indicated that Kentucky farmers planted 3,200 acres of hemp this season – the most ever under the regime. In 2016, the state’s farms grew 2,350 acres […]

In a Wednesday interview, Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin told WHAS radio host Terry Meiners that he would veto any adult-use legalization measure as long as he is in office and that legalization as a way to fund the state’s pension is a “sucker’s bet.” Bevin pointed to Colorado’s legalization experience, which he said while the […]

A Republican state Senator in Kentucky is proposing adult-use cannabis legislation in an effort to fund the state’s faltering pension systems, according to a Spectrum News report. Sen. Dan Seum said the plan could generate $100 million in annual tax revenues, which could help pay down the $37 billion to $64 billion unfunded liabilities in […]

A lawsuit has been filed in Kentucky challenging the state’s criminal ban on medical cannabis, claiming that it violates privacy protections set forth by the state constitution and that the government cannot arbitrarily restrict the ability of patients to use effective medicines, the Associated Press reports. Three plaintiffs are named in the suit including Dan Seum […]

For the first time in Kentucky, a home is being insulated with hempcrete. According to an ABC36 report, the Lexington home, on York St., is being designed by the North Limestone Community Development Corporation. “Basically what we are doing here is demonstrating how hemp can be used as a building material, specifically as an insulation,” […]

Ecofibre, Australia’s largest medicinal cannabis producer, is moving its operations to Kentucky, according to a Business Insider report. The company has grown low-THC cannabis on 340 acres in New South Wales, which has been used by the University of Sydney for medical experiments. Barry Lambert, an Australian banker and adviser for Ecofibre, said the company […]

Kentucky’s Agriculture Commissioner has sent a letter to the USDA outlining his objections to the body’s new ‘Statement of Principles’ regarding the industrial hemp sector, local NPR station WKMS reports. He says the new rules contradict the original intent of the 2014 measure passed by Congress and “could hinder industrial hemp’s economic potential” in the state […]

Researchers at the University of Louisville’s Conn Center for Renewable Energy Research have planted a 40-by-40-foot plot of hemp in order to research its viability as a fuel source, according to a Louisville Business First report. The project is one of eight by Kentucky universities focused on using hemp as an energy resource. “Hemp is […]

Farmers in Kentucky and Tennessee are seeing vastly different results in their respective industrial hemp markets. The Kentucky Department of Agriculture has authorized 4,500 acres of hemp production this year – the third year testing its viability as a cash crop in the state, according to an Associated Press report. Last year the pilot program […]

Kentucky State Senator Perry B. Clark (D-Louisville) has pre-filed a bill for the 2016 legislative session that aims to legalize marijuana in the state for adults aged 21 and older, The Daily Chronic reports. Sen. Clark is a longtime advocate for more sensible cannabis laws, and announced on Friday that he had pre-filed the bill, entitled the […]

In May of this year, Kentucky sued the federal government for confiscating the state’s legally-acquired Italian hemp seeds, sparking a fiasco that enraged hemp supporters nationwide. The seeds were eventually returned and planted as part of a pilot crop for Kentucky’s industrial hemp industry. That pilot crop was harvested earlier this week and has been called a great success. “There’s a great […]