Marijuana Surplus Pushes Oregon Farmers to Hemp



(14 May 2018) STORYLINE:
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THIS SPUTTERING ORANGE GOO …
…. IS TURNING OUT TO BE LIQUID GOLD FOR THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY IN OREGON.
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THIS IS THE FIRST STEP TO HARVESTING CANNABIDIOL – OR C-B-D — OIL.
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…. AN IN-DEMAND EXTRACT OF THE HEMP PLANT — A COUSIN OF MARIJUANA — THAT CAN SELL FOR MORE THAN $10,000 PER KILOGRAM.
SOUNDBITE (English), Trey Willison, owner of Unique Botanicals
“You name it, somebody’s putting CBD into it.”
C-B-D OIL IS POPPING UP IN EVERYTHING FROM DOG TREATS TO CHOCOLATE BARS TO LOTIONS …
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PATRONS AT THIS BAR IN LOS ANGELES CAN EVEN ORDER DRINKS WITH C-B-D.
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A SURPLUS OF MARIJUANA IN OREGON HAS DRIVEN POT PRICES TO RECORD LOWS.
AND NOW, MANY ONE-TIME MARIJUANA GROWERS ARE PIVOTING TO HEMP FOR THE MONEY THAT CAN BE MADE IN HEMP-DERIVED C-B-D…
WHICH DOESN’T COME WITH A HIGH.
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SETH CRAWFORD BREEDS HEMP PLANTS THAT HAVE A STRONG CONCENTRATION OF CBD.
… AND SELLS THE SEEDS TO FARMERS FOR AS MUCH AS $1 EACH.
HE SAYS THE DEMAND IS STAGGERING.
SOUNDBITE (English), Seth Crawford, co-owner of Oregon CBD
“Being non-psychoactive and yet still providing palliative care makes it a very interesting substance. People are much more willing to try it.”
PROPONENTS SAY C-B-D CAN HELP WITH EVERYTHING FROM ANXIETY TO CHRONIC PAIN …
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THE F-D-A IS EXPECTED TO APPROVE THE FIRST DRUG DERIVED FROM C-B-D FOR TREATMENT OF EPILEPSY NEXT MONTH.
BUT OTHER CLAIMS HAVE NOT BEEN SUBSTANTIATED AND EXPERTS CAUTION THAT LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT ITS EFFECTS ON HUMANS.
SOUNDBITE (English), Ziva Cooper, associate professor of neurobiology, Columbia University Medical Center
“Believe it or not, cannabidiol is still considered a Schedule 1 substance and so it’s very difficult to study it in a research or university setting.”
BUT THAT ISN’T STOPPING OREGON’S POT PIONEERS FROM GOING ALL IN ON HEMP.
LICENSES TO GROW HEMP HAVE INCREASED MORE THAN TWENTY-FOLD SINCE 2015.
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LOREN KRUESI DECIDED TO OPEN A CBD-ONLY SHOP NEXT DOOR TO HIS MARIJUANA STORE AFTER SALES DROPPED …
… AND WILL GROW 17 ACRES OF HEMP THIS SUMMER ON HIS FAMILY FARM.
SOUNDBITE (English), Loren Kruesi, owner of CBD Express
“For being part of the system that we came from, we were growing 140, 150 plants and it was exciting, but at this point we’ve got to look at this new piece – and we really believe that this is it.”
A COMPLEX CANNABIS LANDSCAPE DRIVING INTEREST IN HEMP EVER HIGHER.
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GILLIAN FLACCUS, ASSOCIATED PRESS, OREGON

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