How to Nip Intoxicating Canabinoids in the Bud

How to Nip Intoxicating Canabinoids in the Bud

Author: Eric Hurlock, Digital Editor July 11, 2025 Duration: 43:34

This week on the Hemp Show, we're continuing the conversation around the need to split the industry into two. There is much confusion in the minds of law makers and consumers when it comes to what hemp is.

For years hemp advocates championed the fact that hemp doesn't get you high, but thanks to a loophole in the 2018 Farm Bill, somebody figured out how to get high from hemp, and so began the era of intoxicating hemp that we find ourselves in now.

But if hemp is getting you high, it's not hemp — it's weed. Stop calling it hemp.

And that's why there needs to be a legislative fix. Erica Stark from the National Hemp Association joins us to discuss the issue and share her ideas on what a potential fix might look like.

Then we talk to Lancaster Country regenerative hemp farmer Steve Groff about the various hemp projects he's working on down at the farm, where he's got 60 acres of fiber hemp ready to harvest in about three weeks. He talks about the "green decortication" project he's working on and how he hopes to inspire people at the Global Fiber Hemp Summit in Raleigh next week.

As always Groff sees potential, but he's not waiting for the next Farm Bill to act. "I'm not checked out," he said. "I'm checked in."

Plus, news nuggets from around the hemp world: Kazakhstan is preparing to make passport paper from hemp, Arizona courts are tightening THC rules, and Morris Beegle calls again for clear bifurcation between cannabinoid and industrial markets.

We close with a reminder to check out our new kids podcast, Super Smart Farm Show, launching July 22. Stick around after the credits to hear the trailer. As always, thanks for listening — and until next time, we'll see you in the newspaper.


There’s a quiet revolution happening in fields and factories, and it’s centered on a single, versatile plant. Industrial Hemp Podcast, guided by Eric Hurlock, the Digital Editor at Lancaster Farming, moves beyond the headlines to explore what’s actually happening on the ground. This isn’t just theoretical discussion; it’s a direct line to the people driving the industry forward. Each episode features conversations with the farmers who are planting and harvesting these crops, facing very real agronomic challenges and opportunities. You’ll also hear from researchers, processors, and policy experts who are shaping the future of hemp for fiber, grain, and other industrial applications. The dialogue digs into the practicalities-from planting techniques and harvesting equipment to market trends, regulatory hurdles, and technological innovations that are changing the game. It’s a clear-eyed look at an agricultural sector finding its footing, reported by journalists with deep roots in farming communities. For anyone curious about the business, science, and sheer hard work behind industrial hemp, this podcast serves as an essential, grounded resource. Tune in for honest talk that cuts through the hype and gets to the root of this growing field.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Industrial Hemp Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Inside the Trojan Horse of Intoxicating Hemp [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:55
This week on the Hemp Podcast, we have a long conversation about hemp-derived intoxicating cannabinoids with Chris Fontes, president of the U.S. Hemp Authority and founder of Trojan Horse Cannabis and High Spirits Bevera…
Spring Hemp Preview: Webinars, Short Courses, and Conferences [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:49
This week on the Industrial Hemp Podcast, host Eric Hurlock is joined by Lancaster Farming staff reporter Dan Sullivan to talk about one Pennsylvania farmer's decision that's captured national attention. Farmer Mervin Ra…
Hemp in Pennsylvania: Commodity Crop or Shadow Cannabis Market? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:32
We're back. Season 9 of the Hemp Show is here. In this season opener of the Lancaster Farming Industrial Hemp Podcast, we'll take you inside a hearing organized by the Center for Rural Pennsylvania that was meant to expl…
Hemp in 2025: Cliff Hangers, Course Corrections and Community [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:57
2025 was a year of uncertainty, contradiction and recalibration for the hemp industry. In this year-end episode of the Lancaster Farming Industrial Hemp Podcast, host Eric Hurlock looks back on a season defined by policy…
In the Hemp Studio with Farmer Steve Groff [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:49
We have a special in-studio guest this week on the Industrial Hemp Show. Steve Groff, third-generation Lancaster County farmer and hemp innovator from Holtwood, Pennsylvania, stopped by the Hemp Studio at the Lancaster F…
The Sky Has Not Fallen on Industrial Hemp [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:31
This week on the Lancaster Farming Industrial Hemp Podcast, we take a close look at the biggest federal hemp policy shift since the 2018 Farm Bill and what it means for the industry. Our guests on the show are Danielle B…
CBD Farmer & Hemp Builder React to New Federal Hemp Definition [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:02
Congress changed the definition of hemp this week, clarifying the original intent of the 2018 Farm Bill and closing the intoxicating-hemp loophole that enabled a nationwide market of unregulated semi-synthetic THC produc…
Code, Carbon and Hemp-Lime Construction with Jake Waddell [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:49
This week on the Hemp Show, we're talking to Jake Waddell from the Hemp Building Institute about the future of hemp construction, building codes and embodied carbon. Hemp-lime construction has come a long way — from earl…
Oh, For The Love of Farming... [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:41
This special edition of the Lancaster Farming Industrial Hemp Podcast celebrates the 70th anniversary of Lancaster Farming Newspaper, which has been reporting on agriculture since 1955. Recorded at Penn State's Ag Progre…