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Hemp farmers, processors have questions following court decision

Farmers preparing for an industrial hemp crop have been dealt a setback.  The Federal 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the Drug Enforcement Administration, which says the hemp extract CBD oil is a Schedule 1 controlled substance.

The DEA says since CBD oil comes from marijuana flowers, it’s illegal.  Hemp farmers argue it also comes from their legal plants.  Rob Richard with Wisconsin Farm Bureau tells Brownfield CBD oil was never prohibited by the Controlled Substances Act.  He says the DEA’s interpretation contradicts federal law, making it important to pass Senator Mitch McConnell’s hemp farming act that would legalize industrial hemp production on a federal level.

What’s not clear is if all hemp plants might be ruled illegal because they contain CBD oil.  If that happens, it puts hemp farmers at risk of drug charges and financial losses and stifles new development including construction of a hemp processing plant in Prescott, Wisconsin this summer.