Much hemp in Arizona fails test standards

Too much THC is found in 41% of crops checked

When Arizona started issuing licenses for farmers to grow hemp in 2019, many people predicted a boost to the economy from the plant that’s used to create the popular CBD oil, among other products.

But months into this crop’s new era, the results are not what was expected by those in the industry. Instead of harvesting fields of hemp, farmers are destroying them.

Hemp and marijuana technically are the same plants, but hemp is supposed to have a much lower level of THC, the chemical in marijuana that causes a “high” feeling. The Arizona Department of Agriculture tests hemp crops for THC levels. Too much, and the crop can’t be harvested.

Roughly 41% of Arizona’s hemp plants tested for THC have failed, according to the Arizona Department of Agriculture’s Plant Services Division, which oversees the program.

Sully Sullivan, co-founder and executive director of the Hemp Industry

Trade Association of Arizona, said “hot” crops — the industry term for plants that fail a THC test — are expected, but not in this large of quantity.

“At 40%, that’s off the charts,” Sullivan said when told what the agriculture department had found. “I’m taken aback by that. That’s substantial.”

An official with the department expressed much less dismay, though.

“The failure rate is not unexpected based on anecdotal information from around the country regarding variable seed quality and genetic expression, for THC content, between the varieties planted,” John Caravetta, associate director of the Plant Services Division, wrote to The Republic in an email sent through a department spokesman.

In other words, states around the country have had issues managing the THC content, and the types of seeds farmers use also are a factor. Crops in Hawaii and Nebraska have made headlines for testing too high, but not in the same quantity as here.

Farmers in Arizona started having the agriculture department test their hemp plants before harvesting in late 2019. As of Dec. 6, 53 of the 130 hemp lots tested have failed, according to data provided by Agriculture Department spokesman Robert Smook. That’s about 670 acres of hemp plants.

One acre of hemp plants is conservatively worth up to $20,000, according to Sullivan, who said many plants go for above that price. That means the 670 noncompliant acres could be worth roughly $13.4 million.

Dustin Shill, head farmer for Arizona Hemp Supply Co. who has 40 acres in Yuma, said although his plants have yet to be tested by the department, he’s spent his own money to independently test for THC each week. His last batch of 10 tests cost $12,000.

“It’s a high-risk deal,” Shill said. “Right now, it’s just a shot in the dark really. It’s crazy.”

Not spending the money to test his plants is too much of a risk, he said, even though doing so cuts into profits.

“Oh sure it does,” Shill said. “But if you don’t spend that money and go into it blind, you’re just rolling the dice. You got to know when to harvest.”

So for now, Shill will continue to test weekly before calling the state when he’s ready for harvest.

“The THC and CBD go hand-inhand,” he said. “When it’s going up, THC is going up, so it’s a fine line to determine when it’s ready.”

CBD, or cannabidiol, is growing in popularity across the nation in natural medicine, food and other consumer products that tout its health benefits.

Shill said he may play it safe and harvest before the crops have maxed out their CBD potential so they don’t cross the THC threshold.

The Arizona hemp law, signed by Gov. Doug Ducey in May 2018, appropriated $750,000 to the hemp program, and laid out rules for how much THC can be in a plant.

Although the law was signed in 2018, permits were not given out until 2019.

The law states that a plant cannot have a THC concentration of more than 0.3%, a number that is fairly common among states with hemp programs.

Ryan Treacy, the founder and CEO of a local lab that tests cannabis and hemp, said several factors may contribute to failed tests in Arizona.

For one, Treacy said that just because a seed for a plant worked in another part of the country does not mean it will adapt well to Arizona’s hot and dry climate.

“Stressed plants do crazy things,” he said, adding that the new environment may contribute to a plant having a higher THC level.

Currently, all Arizona hemp plants originated in other states, with seeds from Colorado, Oregon and Kentucky that are made for those states’ climates. After the first few years of hemp production in Arizona, Sullivan said there likely will be seeds developed for the state’s specific climate.

The department also pointed to seed issues as a possible cause of the high number of failed tests.

“What may result in a low THC value in one environment that is potentially more moderate may not be what growers experience here in our environs,” Caravetta said in an email.

Shill, the farmer, agrees with that sentiment.

“The seeds we are using are not suitable for this area,” he said.

But another significant factor is more complicated: The state’s testing process.

Currently, the state uses the term “total THC,” which includes both Delta 9 THC (the kind that causes a high), and type A THC, which has no psychoactive qualities, Treacy said.

Treacy thinks the two should not be counted together, and that the state should focus on Delta 9 THC because that is what could lead to hemp crops intoxicating consumers.

Additionally, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently released the federal rules for hemp testing, and the department is accepting public comments on the proposed rules until Jan. 29. The department’s proposed rule also uses “total” THC in its testing process.

Despite the early issues, Shill said he is confident Arizona eventually will be one of the best places to grow hemp in the country.

“Arizona is going to dominate this,” Shill said. “It’s just once we get it all figured out.”