MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- The Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation is upset that state authorities won't allow farmers to extract CBD oil from hemp.
Gov. Scott Walker signed a bill last year allowing farmers to grow hemp. As of Friday, state agriculture officials had received nearly 360 license applications and have issued 72 licenses.
But the farm bureau is upset with an April 27 state Department of Justice memo stating farmers can't extract CBD oil from the plant. The agency said distributing and possessing the oil is illegal if the oil contains any THC, which causes a high.
Bureau lobbyist Rob Richard says most farmers looking to grow hemp want to sell the oil. He says he believed the bill legalized CBD production and the DOJ's memo has left farmers holding useless licenses.
