How Can I Be A Registered Hemp Processor In North Carolina

Industrial Hemp Pilot Program in Due north Carolina

Frequently Asked Questions

Full general Program Questions

What is industrial hemp?

Legally, industrial hemp is Cannabis sativa L. with a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol content of 0.iii% or less. As a plant it is a small seeded, dicot, dioecious, photoperiodic plant. That means information technology is a broadleaf establish with both male and female plants that mostly flowers based on a day length trigger. Even so, some strains can flower based on a certain amount of days and they are known every bit auto-flowering strains.

How is industrial hemp cultivated?

Industrial hemp is generally grown for; seed, fiber, or floral materials. Each is produced is in a slightly different way. For seed production, plants would generally be seeded at a high constitute population similar to a pocket-sized grain crop. Reported seeding rates are 25 to twoscore pounds of seed per acre planted with a grain drill. For fiber, high seeding rates are generally recommended. The reason for loftier seeding rates and plant population is to limit lateral branching and facilitate harvest. Production of floral materials varies widely from greenhouse production to wider row spacings, which would resemble tobacco or horticultural crop production. Floral buds are harvested, and then product systems that promote lateral branching and more numerous flowers per plant would be desirable.

Harvesting methods vary. Industrial hemp for seed tin be harvested by a combine, but care must exist taken to avoid wrapping of institute stems on combine parts as well as shattering of seed to the basis. Grain (seed) is typically harvested at high moisture levels (~fifteen%) to preclude wrapping and shattering, and then the grain should be dried quickly to 7-x% wet to prevent spoilage. For fiber, the entire establish is cutting close to the footing and a retting process must occur. Retting allows the fiber to be separated from the inner core, or hurd, of the stalk. For floral material, the floral buds are harvested.

What is hemp used for?

Hemp fibers take been used to manufacture hundreds of products that include fiber for injected/molded blended materials, twine, paper, construction materials, carpet, clothing, and fauna bedding. Seeds, on the other hand, accept been used in making industrial oils, cosmetics and other personal care products, and medicines. Hemp seed or oil can be found in cooking oil, salad dressings, pasta, and snack products. This crop has also generated great involvement among pharmaceutical and medical researchers because of the cannabinoids institute in the hair-similar structures, called trichomes, plant on the floral materials.

How tin I participate in the program?

Nether state and federal laws, individuals must exist issued a license to participate in the industrial hemp pilot program. Growers in North Carolina who wish to cultivate industrial hemp shall apply for a license to the Industrial Hemp Commission, which must be approved by commission members. The Industrial Hemp Commission is responsible for developing rules and applications for participating in the program. Every bit adopted in Feb of 2017, Temporary Rules spell out the requirements of the industrial hemp research pilot program. An application to become a licensee is available online as well as application instructions and an application section in our FAQ page (see below)

How do I obtain a copy of the list of hemp processors or hemp license holders?

The industrial hemp processor list can be found at https://www.ncagr.gov/hemp/documents/ProcessorListForWeb.pdf and yous can brand a public records request for the hemp license holders list by sending an email to industrialhemprequests@ncagr.gov

Application & Licenses

What kind of requirements do I need to meet in order to get canonical for a license?

Most of the application will crave little work on your part every bit an applicant. Many questions only require information that you lot already know or tin hands access similar various contact information and GPS coordinates.

There are two sections that will crave outside documentation. First, you volition need to know who you volition exist acquiring seed, clones, or transplants from. If you have no idea where to outset please navigate to the Planting Sources link nether the Forms & Resources section. The provider that you work with will need to provide y'all with their hemp license information and certificates of analysis for the strains/varieties that you lot intend to grow and that information will have to exist included with your application.

The 2d portion that volition require outside documentation is section thirteen of the application, the
Bona Fide Farmer Certification department. This will require y'all to provide ane of 4 specific sets of tax documents (given in the rules and on the awarding) to prove that you generated gross income last year from the sale of an agricultural article. At that place are no exceptions to this requirement and the taxes must be from the previous year Non the terminal time that you filed farm income. As an case, if it is 2020 then you need to provide your 2019 taxation information.

Are there any restrictions on the number of acres or greenhouse sq. ft. that I can have?

Bold y'all take a license to cultivate industrial hemp you can have as much or equally little acreage and greenhouse sq. ft. that you want. Keep in mind that the more acreage and greenhouse sq. ft. that y'all have the more information technology will cost to obtain and maintain your license.

Are at that place any restrictions on where I can legally cultivate hemp?

So long as you lot can larn a license to cultivate or are in possession of a valid license, there are few legal restrictions on where yous must cultivate. Keep in heed that other laws, such every bit restrictive covenants and zoning, notwithstanding employ and may impact your ability to grow in certain areas.

The NCDA does not recommend that anyone cultivate at their habitation, especially in urban or suburban areas. While there may be no legal restrictions to prevent you from doing and then, altercations with neighbors and law enforcement will probable increase if your crop has loftier visibility.

How long does information technology take to get approved for a hemp license?

The reply to this question is variable. If you submit an application that is completely correct with an Industrial Hemp Committee coming together scheduled for a week afterwards then the whole process could have equally fiddling as a few days. However, applications requiring corrections could take days, weeks, or longer to correct and be canonical past the commission. Equally a general dominion, it will take approximately two-three weeks to be reviewed, correct your application, and and so be approved at an Industrial hemp commission meeting. This timeline tin can shrink or aggrandize depending on the volume of applications and the frequency of Industrial Hemp Committee meetings.

Does my 3 year license take to exist renewed?

Yes. If you acquire a iii year license you just pay for the outset year with your initial invoice. Each year after yous must pay an annual renewal fee to go along your license valid for the full 3 year catamenia. Failure to pay your annual renewal can cause your license to expire.

How much does an industrial hemp license price?

For most, a hemp license costs betwixt $500 and $600 dollars but this will vary depending on how many acres and greenhouse sq. ft. you intend to be licensed for. You can visit the rules folio to read about the fee structure.

Tin can I change the data on my license?

Yes. We have an amendment form in place so that you can alter simply most whatever role of your license. The grade to exercise that can be found under the Forms & Documents page of our website. Based on the rules of the plan y'all have thirty days to make changes to your license.

Can I be listed on someone else's license or transfer my license to someone else?

No. Hemp license are non transferable to another entity and exercise not transfer with state. There is no style for you to add an individual to your license or for you to be listed on another's license.

Hemp Processors

How do I register as a hemp processor?

You can navigate to the Industrial Hemp Processor page to find the registration grade. Fill up out this class and submit information technology back to us co-ordinate to the instructions at the top of the page.

What is a hemp processor?

A hemp processor can be whatever number of things including merely not express to: a facility performing extractions and generating crude or distillates from hemp biomass, drying/curing/trimming services, facilities that package or repackage hemp/hemp products, facilities that have crude oil or distillate and formulate products ready for retail, facilities that package or pre-curlicue smokable hemp products, etc. If you aren't sure if you lot should register as a hemp processor you tin contact us at industrialhemprequests@ncagr.gov

Tin I modify my processor registration information?

Aye. Yous tin electronic mail united states at industrialhemprequests@ncagr.gov with whatever changes that you demand to make.

Selling Hemp & Hemp Products

Practice I have to annals or go a license to sell hemp or hemp products?

No. There are currently no laws requiring a special license or registration to sell hemp or hemp products (often CBD) in the State of North Carolina. Keep in heed that but an individual with a cultivator's license tin can be in possession of or sell viable seed or living hemp plants. Y'all will need to establish your business with the land, if yous haven't, for tax and other legal purposes.

Are edible hemp/CBD products allowed to exist made and sold?

The Federal Food and Drug Assistants has stated that CBD cannot exist put into foods for human or animate being consumption considering it is a registered drug. CBD is the agile ingredient in a drug chosen "Epidiolex" and much similar you tin can't put aspirin in food you cannot put CBD into food. In improver to the restrictions on what you can put CBD into, yous cannot brand medical claims on CBD products or sell CBD equally a nutritional supplement because of its status every bit a registered drug.

Is smokable hemp legal in the State of N Carolina?

At this time, smokable hemp is a legal product in the Land of North Carolina. Legislation could be introduced to ban smokable hemp in the General Assembly but until information technology is passed into police smokable hemp remains legal.

Delta-8 THC

Is Delta-viii THC tested for in hemp in North Carolina?

The North Carolina Industrial Hemp Pilot Program does not regulate or screen for Delta-8 THC when sampling hemp for compliance. Instead, the Northward Carolina Industrial Hemp Pilot Programme samples and tests for the total Delta-9 THC levels, including any potential conversion of THCA into THC. This approach is in-line with USDA's January 19, 2021 Final Rule, titled "Institution of a Domestic Hemp Production Program." USDA explained that in that location is no demand to screen for Delta-8 THC because the concentration of Delta-eight THC in hemp is basically undetectable and contributes nothing significant to the total THC content.

Are Delta-8 THC products legal in North Carolina?

The threshold factor is whether the Delta-8 THC is derived from hemp or marijuana. If the Delta-8 THC is derived from marijuana, then the product is illegal equally a controlled substance nether both N Carolina and federal constabulary.

Whether Delta-8 THC derived from hemp is legal or not depends on who you inquire. Currently, DEA takes the position that synthetically derived THC is illegal as a controlled substance. Since Delta-8 THC appears at negligible and nondetectable concentrations in hemp, Delta-8 THC is usually derived from chemic conversion from CBD into Delta-8 THC. Therefore, it appears from DEA's Baronial 21, 2020 Interim Final Rule, titled "Implementation of the Agronomics Improvement Human activity of 2018," that it will treat Delta-eight THC derived from chemic conversion or other synthetic methods as illegal.

How can I keep informed of when the Industrial Hemp Commission will encounter next? What if I miss a meeting? Tin can I get the information I missed from a meeting?

There is a Meeting Update page that lists the side by side announced Industrial Hemp Commission meeting. Additionally, y'all can detect meeting agendas and approved minutes from previous meetings. Y'all tin can also sign upwardly for the mailing listing on the Industrial Hemp Home folio to get meeting data emailed as it becomes available.