Tobacco has long been the foundation of Kentucky’s agricultural economy. As demand for tobacco wanes due to widespread health concerns about smoking, Kentucky farmers are starting to shift their attention towards hemp. The plant’s taxonomic relationship to marijuana has legally hindered it as a production crop up until recently. As marijuana laws are loosened and the differences between marijuana and hemp become better appreciated, the many industrial uses for hemp are creating increased demand, and may provide an emerging market for Kentucky’s struggling farmers.
Hemp Is the New Tobacco as Kentucky Farmers Bet on Weed’s Cousin