Kemp signs bill allowing hemp crops

ATLANTA (AP) - Farmers can soon begin growing hemp in Georgia.

Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law Friday a bill allowing hemp crops, which can be used to make CBD oil, rope and other items.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports CBD oil is already sold in Georgia, but it’s currently imported. Once state officials create regulations, CBD can be manufactured in-state by farmers who receive a hemp growing license, which costs $50 per acre annually.

Besides Georgia, 41 states have hemp programs.

Hemp is part of the cannabis plant family, but unlike marijuana it includes only trace amounts - no more than 0.3% - of THC, the compound that gives marijuana its high.

Kemp previously signed a measure that allows cultivation and sales of medical marijuana oil, which contains up to 5% THC.

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Information from: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, http://www.ajc.com