UK shows off hemp plots at research farm

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Wolfe County agricultural extension agent Daniel Wilson sees hemp as a potential substitute for lost tobacco production in the Appalachian foothills of Kentucky.

Wilson says no one is producing hemp in Wolfe County but says the crop may spread to his county next year. He was among about 250 people touring hemp research plots Thursday at a University of Kentucky farm.

Hemp once thrived in Kentucky, but growing it without a federal permit was banned in 1970 due to its classification as a controlled substance related to marijuana. Hemp and marijuana are the same species, but hemp has a negligible amount of the psychoactive compound that gives marijuana users a high.

Kentucky is at the forefront of efforts to revive the crop, prized for oils, seeds and fiber.

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