Group backs benefits of hemp

Proposed bill would treat it as agricultural commodity

Beverage glasses covered a table at Old Mud Creek Farm so guests could order refreshments, like margaritas. But the drinks came with a twist — everything was made from hemp plants — and infused with CBD oil, the non-intoxicant oil derived from the hemp plant.

The event, put on by Hudson Hemp, which is part of Old Mud Creek Farm, highlighted some of the many uses of hemp, which is derived from the same plant as marijuana, but has a low level of the chemical that gets users high.

Hudson Hemp’s Tanya Romero crafted Cbd-infused salt for the rim of the glasses, and the drinks were mixed with a Cb d-inf used, watermelon flavored mixing syrup. Guests were also served a cucumber, pineapple and hemp drink.

The goal was “really, just to kind of try as many variations and possibilities. Really kind of wanting to push the envelope,” Romero said. “I consider myself an artist, and food is my medium ... we’re all about just trying new things.”

Currently in New York State, growers can only cultivate hemp if they’re licensed under the state’s Industrial Hemp Research Pilot Program, which went into effect in 2015.

A limited number of licenses were granted by the state to farms so they could research industrial hemp.

The Hemp Farming Act of 2018 is currently in the state Senate, which may pass the law later this year and introduce hemp as an agricultural commodity, rather than a controlled substance.

Abby Rockefeller is backing Hudson Hemp, and says she thinks the hemp market is an untapped industry that could thrive, presuming the passage of the bill.

“Hemp has a tremendous amount of potential. That’s the sort of lowest hanging fruit, turning hemp into an industry.” — Benjamin Dobson, managing director of Hudson Hemp and manager of Old Mud Creek Farm

“Well it’s just beginning to be tapped,” Rockefeller said. “The question is who is going to do it? How well is it going to be done? How much help are we going to get, how much interference? I think it looks like there’s a good chance of it going very well in New York State.”

Benjamin Dobson, managing director of Hudson Hemp and manager of Old Mud Creek Farm, says there are thousands of products that can come from hemp, including paper, fiber, dietary supplements, clothing and building materials.

“Hemp has a tremendous amount of potential,” Dobson said. “That’s the sort of lowest hanging fruit, turning hemp into an industry. But the other piece that we really need to assess is, hemp has thousands and thousands of uses. So in order for New York state to rebuild its paper industry, or for New York state to become a viable supplier of hemp grain as a food, the hurdles need to lower.”