LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) –Hemp is making a huge comeback in Kentucky.
Federal and state legislation passed in 2014 says hemp can be grown and marketed in states with pilot programs. Four years later growers in the state are seeing big profits from extracting something found in the plant and turning it into a highly sought offer oil that some claim holds real health value. The sale of what is known as CBD oil is estimated to explode by 2020.
Inside one Lexington business is something many are learning is the key to their health and feeling better.
“People come in here for a variety of reasons,” said Adriane Polyniak, owner of Bluegrass Hemp Oil.
Business is booming at Bluegrass Hemp Oil, a company born out of necessity for owner Adriane Polyniak after her son was diagnosed with epilepsy and debilitating seizures in 2009.
“We went through this pharmaceutical roulette where we tried to get him regulated on those different pharmaceuticals and had him dealing with a wide array of side effects,” said Polyniak.
She found relief for her son in a product derived from hemp, CBD oil. People have found relief from a number of ailments by using it.
Polyniak believed in it so strongly that she and her husband quit their jobs and in 2014 invested in growing hemp and now processing the oil.
The Polyniaks own and operate Bluegrass Hemp Oil in Lexington.
Polyniak took advantage of the state legislation that set up a pilot program for hemp crops in the state, and then in 2014 the federal Farm Bill opened the door for the legalized cultivation of hemp in states with those pilot programs.
Her customers are now proof that CBD is changing lives.
“I think the most we’ve seen of daily pharmaceuticals that they have been able to reduce was ten, so it is definitely making a difference in people’s lives,” said Polyniak.
There is still a misconception between hemp and marijuana. Hemp grown in Kentucky is under strict guidelines that the THC level (what can make you high) must be under .3%, and if not, it is destroyed. Marijuana carries a 20-30% THC level.
CBD oil is made from extracting one of several cannabinoids from the plant.
In Harrison County if you take a walk in one of Brian Furnish’s fields you will find a crop of hemp recently planted that will be harvested in September for the use high end clothing.