Hemp Applications Now Open in Maine
The state of Maine is now accepting industrial hemp cultivation applications for the 2018 cultivation season.
Federal law dictates that permits are required in order to grow industrial hemp, regardless of what purpose. In Maine, applicants must pay $100 per application, $500 per license and $50 per acre of desired cultivation. The fees collected from the application and licensing process cover department costs including testing samples, inspector travel costs and administrative costs.
The process includes license application, review of the application by the Bureau of Agriculture’s Division of Animal and Plant Health, signing of the licensing agreement and a test of the crop prior to harvest.
Even though states and higher education institutions can apply for permits for research purposes, regulators were unaware of any school applications. Currently, there are no applications filed by the state’s Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.
Applicants must also purchase certified seed. This process includes a letter or other written document from a third party that tests the seed, the THC content of the variety or varieties and the supplier. Crops can also be grown from clones or tissue samples.
Although Maine voters approved recreational cannabis in 2016 and medical cannabis in 2009, the state has yet to allow recreational consumption to begin. Gov. Paul LePage vetoed the bill, citing several reasons including the bureaucratic process. For growers, medical cannabis and industrial hemp cultivation cannot be co-mingled. The hemp must maintain a less than 0.3 percent THC rate, and all applications must be received by April 1, 2018.
