THE
GREEN RUSH
DISTILLERS ARE NOW HITTING HEMP WRITTEN BY RYAN MALKIN
“HEMP IS HAVING A MOMENT,” says Michael Bronstein, co-founder of the American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp. “I’ve seen executives of more than a few major spirit companies make their way through hemp facilities in Kentucky and Colorado.” Major suppliers may be considering hemp, but craft distillers are the ones currently producing hemp-based spirits. Five hemp labels have been approved by the Alcohol Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) so far this year, all from smaller producers, while the same amount were approved the previous two years combined. Hemp’s “moment” is no doubt tied to the legalization in many states of its infamous relative: marijuana. Hemp and marijuana both come from the Cannabis Sativa L. plant, though they are sourced from different parts. Marijuana is, of course, grown for its psychoactive, Tetrahydrocannibinol (THC) filled buds, whereas hemp is generally grown for its industrial uses. Hemp contains only trace amounts of THC (less than .3 percent for industrial sale). However, it is high in cannabidiols (CBD), and currently used in numerous nonTHC products for far more than just getting high.
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