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A farm in central New York is the first to legally grow hemp in 80 years as part of a new pilot program to explore hemp's industrial use.

A farm in central New York is the first to legally grow hemp in 80 years as part of a new pilot program to explore hemp's industrial use.

Although hemp is illegal at a federal level, 13 states have jumped on board the hemp train, and for good reason.

In Kentucky, the University of Louisville's Conn Center for Renewable Energy Research has started growing industrial hemp in an effort to spur its fuels and manufacturing research.

Though commercial marijuana became legal in Alaska in February 2015, hemp is not yet legal.

Though commercial marijuana became legal in Alaska in February 2015, hemp is not yet legal.

Hemp is a low impact, fast-growing and clean plant to produce, and extremely versatile.

Textile mills in regions such as Western North Carolina lie dormant while Americans import about $500 million worth of hemp annually.

Textile mills in regions such as Western North Carolina lie dormant while Americans import about $500 million worth of hemp annually.

BOISE, Idaho (KBOI) — Organizers of the inaugural Boise Hemp Fest 2016 view it as a teaching tool for the many uses of cannabis.

BOISE, Idaho (KBOI) — Organizers of the inaugural Boise Hemp Fest 2016 view it as a teaching tool for the many uses of cannabis.

A report released in May showed that nationwide, retail sales for hemp products in 2015 reached $575 million, which was a more than 10 percent increase from the prior year.

Kentucky is experimenting with industrial hemp – as dozens of farmers grow test plots covering 45-hundred acres.

Kentucky is experimenting with industrial hemp – as dozens of farmers grow test plots covering 45-hundred acres.

One acre of hemp can reportedly yield up to 5,300 pounds of straw, which can be turned into 1,300 pounds of wood fiber.

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - Marijuana is growing in Mesa County, but it won't get you high. "We were saving the ranch. It wasn't selling and we had to come up with a way to cover expenses," said Margaret Richardson, a co-owner at Salt Creek Hemp Company.

Penn State research could help farmers to be more successful if and when the law allows them to grow industrial hemp for profit.

Hempcrete — a mixture of hemp stalk, water and lime — could pave the way toward a sustainable future.

As tobacco declines, some hope that hemp can be a “gateway crop” to financial sustainability for the state’s small farms.

HARRISBURG, Pa. – Governor Tom Wolf signs into a law a bill that allows the cultivation of industrial hemp in Pennsylvania.