How to Get a Hemp License
If you’re planning to enter the hemp industry, you may wonder if you need a license to grow hemp. Hemp growing regulations vary from state to state, but you will need to know how to get a hemp license. This short guide will give you an overview of:
- Researching your state’s regulations
- Ensuring your eligibility
- Understanding which forms and what information you’ll need
- Acquiring your license
Plan Ahead and Do Your Research
How to get a hemp license depends on your state of residence; in some states, receiving your license can take months, so you’ll want to plan ahead and know the rules for your specific state. You’ll also want to know exactly what you’re planning to grow so you can check that you’re planning to be within the USDA hemp regulations and regulations for your state.
Find Your State’s Governing Authority
Each state has a different person in charge of either the plant industry in general, or the hemp industry in particular. How to get a hemp license varies from state to state. If you want to grow hemp in Hawaii, New Hampshire, or Mississippi, you’ll need to apply directly with the USDA. You can find contact information for the authority in your state or reach the USDA application and information. If you live in North Carolina, the application and instructions for how to get a hemp license are available here.
Check Your Eligibility
You’ll want to be sure you are eligible to receive a license before you apply for one. In North Carolina, licenses are granted only to those who can show gross income from farming on their most recent tax return. This is to guarantee that practiced farmers are conducting research, as North Carolina’s industrial hemp program is a research pilot.
Different states have different regulations and application requirements. For any state, USDA, or tribal license, the applicant cannot have been convicted of a felony related to a controlled substance in the past ten years. Additionally, be sure you don’t have someone on your business team who has been convicted of a drug-related crime.
Decide What Type of Grower You’ll Be
Which forms you fill out and submit to get a license for growing hemp will depend on what type of grower you plan to be. The licensing process for industrial hemp is more stringent than for most other crops. Part of your application process will be a criminal background check. You will need to provide GPS coordinates of your growing location, as well as size in acres.
Most states require applicants to declare one or more industrial hemp research areas. You may be required to have both a grower and a processor license, depending on which state you’re in and what you want to do. Producing hemp clones requires a different type of license than growing cannabis for CBD.
Fill Out Necessary Paperwork and Pay Fees
Once you’ve found the appropriate application for your state, provide the necessary information for the state to run your criminal background check. Provide the information on the intended planting space, crop variety, storage area, research goals, and market. You’ll also need to provide tax information. You’ll pay fees for your application, background check, and license, varied by state.
Get Your License and Begin Ordering Supplies
Wait to order any supplies until you receive your license. You don’t want to invest capital into infrastructure or supplies until you know you’ll be legally able to move forward with your plans in your intended space and time frame.
You’ll need to plan how many hemp plants per acre to grow before you order hemp clones or seeds. This will depend on what you’re growing for (CBD content or something else) and how much you can harvest within the compliant window for THC content and within the peak for CBD content. Once you have your license, you’ll have precisely controlled coordinates in which you can plant under strict regulation and reporting. North Carolina requires licensees to promise to destroy any volunteer plants that come up in their fields. Plan your fields carefully.
When you receive your license to grow industrial hemp, find hemp clones available for purchase here. Check out our blog for additional information on growing industrial hemp for CBD.
