Alaska proposing regulations for pilot hemp program

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The state of Alaska has proposed regulations for an industrial hemp pilot program.

A state law passed last year authorized the creation of a program to study the growth, cultivation or marketing of industrial hemp.

Anchorage TV station KTVA reports staff at the state Plant Materials Center planted six different strains for the first phase. Center director Rob Carter says because hemp has been illegal, there isn’t a lot of research showing what varieties grow well.

Hemp is related to marijuana but has just trace amounts of THC, the chemical found in marijuana that produces a high.

Chris and Ember Haynes, who own Denali Hemp Company in Talkeetna, get their hemp seed oil ingredients from Colorado since it’s illegal to grow plants. They hope to participate in the pilot program