Hemp production quadruples in the United States

Hemp production in the United States has quadrupled compared to 2018, with an estimated 45-55,000 hectares harvested by the end of 2019, according to the 2019 report of Vote Hemp.

Almost 95,000 hectares of hemp should be planted this year, with 50 to 60% of the total area to be harvested, according to Vote Hemp.

In total, more than 200,000 hectares of hemp were licensed in the United States, and 16,877 grower licenses were issued. The increase in licensed acreage represents an increase of 455% over last year.

Hemp was legalized at federal level at the end of 2018, via the Farm Bill which removed industrial hemp, defined as Cannabis containing less than 0.3% THC by dry weight, and its extracts from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, in which cannabis is still listed alongside heroin and LSD.

States could of course already authorize the cultivation of hemp within their borders, but interstate commerce remained complex. Following the legalization of hemp at federal level, 13 states passed legislation authorizing the cultivation of hemp, in addition to the 33 already in existence. Only Idaho, South Dakota, Mississippi and New Hampshire now have no hemp-growing program.

The increase in hemp cultivation will of course benefit all its industrial applications but also to meet the growing demand for CBD, both in the United States and internationally.