Fewer farmers in Kansas are growing hemp because they are seeing less demand for CBD oil.
However, advocates told Kansas City, Missouri radio station KCUR that the market for other types of industrial hemp, such as those used for clothing and animal feed, is growing.
According to the Kansas Department of Agriculture:
- 90% of hemp grown in the state between 2019 and 2020 was used for CBD oil production.
- By 2023, less than 5% of hemp grown in the state is used for CBD oil.
The lower demand for CBD oil could be related to marijuana reform in other states.
Adult use and medical marijuana are now legal in nearby Missouri, but both remain illegal in Kansas.
“The landscape has changed in recent years across the country,” Assistant Secretary of Agriculture Kelsey Olson told the NPR affiliate.
“I think that may have changed some of the usage.”