Colorado made history last Wednesday as officials gave the world a glimpse at its first certified domestic hemp seeds. It has taken Colorado Department of Agriculture years to consistently breed a plant with low enough THC to qualify as hemp and not cannabis, according to a report by ABC News.
Although congress allowed hemp production back in 2014, a shortage of state certified hemp seed has limited the amount of hemp that has been grown. It is estimated that there is less than 7,000 acres of hemp being cultivated in the United States this year.
The shortage of hemp seeds has driven the price up to at least $25 a pound, if not much more. If a hemp seed ends up producing a plant with more than 0.3 percent THC, the hemp grower is forced to throw the plant away, which can be an expensive mistake.
Duane Sinning from Colorado’s Department of Agriculture oversees the estimated 400 hemp growers in the state. He stated, “A farmer, he already takes a lot of risk dropping seed into the ground, whether you’ll have enough water, all that,” Sinning said. “This crop is even riskier.”