OSU is establishing a Global Hemp Innovation Center, hoping to make the city of Corvallis a “research hub” regionally, nationally and globally.
“Our faculty are already recognized internationally as go-to experts for research help: The launch of this center signifies our commitment to continue to build upon that established expertise and grow our impact across the state, the nation and globally,” said Alam Sams, dean of OSU’s Department of Agricultural Sciences.
“Hemp has incredible potential across several industries and sectors, including in food and health products and as a fiber commodity.”
The 2018 Farm Bill, passed by Congress in December, removed hemp from the federal government’s list of controlled drug substances. The propagation of hemp had been illegal in America for 82 years.
The provision legalizing hemp was sponsored by — of all people — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, as a stimulus to Kentucky’s lagging economy. He has touted hemp as a possible replacement for tobacco.
