Inside the Trojan Horse of Intoxicating Hemp

Inside the Trojan Horse of Intoxicating Hemp

Author: Eric Hurlock, Digital Editor February 12, 2026 Duration: 57:55
Industrial Hemp Podcast
NewsTechnology

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 Beverages.

Trojan Horse Cannabis was the first company to bring so-called intoxicating hemp derivatives to market, changing the hemp space forever.

For decades, hemp advocates said hemp was different from marijuana because hemp couldn't get you high.

But the 2018 Farm Bill created the perfect conditions for the birth of a whole new chapter in the story of hemp.

Fontes said when he read the hemp language in the 2018 Farm Bill, "My first thought was: We have uncontrolled THC. There is now a version of THC that is not controlled. Something could be done with this."

THC is the chemical compound produced in the cannabis flower known for its psychoactive properties.

Applying basic principles of math, Fontes realized that this legal THC "can be put into a product at a 10 milligram standard dose and could be shipped through the mail to anyone in the country at the time as there was no state by state blocking and interstate transport was explicitly protected," he said.

Thus, the intoxicating hemp-derived cannabinoid market was born.

And that's where this conversation gets interesting.

This isn't your typical fiber and grain hemp discussion. But if you want to understand why lawmakers are reacting, why definitions are shifting, and why the word hemp feels contested right now — you have to understand where this market came from.

That's what we have in store for you in this episode. Enjoy.

Learn More

High Spirits Beverages

drinkhighspirits.com

U.S. Hemp Authority

ushempauthority.org

USDA Hemp Overview

usda.gov/farming-and-ranching/plants-and-crops/plant-breeding/hemp

HEMP Act of 2025 (Bill Text)

congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2112/text

Hemp Planting Predictability Act (Bill Text)

congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7024/text

CRS Report: The 2018 Farm Bill's Hemp Definition and Legal Framework

congress.gov/crs-product/R48637

News Nuggets

Italy's Industrial Hemp Seed Lines Surpass EU Germination Standards

hemptoday.net/leading-italian-hemp-varieties-post-2025-germination-bounceback-after-years-of-doubts/

Hemp and Marijuana Are the Same Species — So Why the Different Laws?

lpm.org/news/2026-02-03/hemp-and-marijuana-are-the-same-species-so-why-all-the-different-laws

Federal Hemp Definition Shift Could Impact Fiber and Grain Markets

rfdtv.com/hemp-definition-shift-threatens-fiber-and-grain-expansion

Washington Still Hasn't Decided What CBD Is

hemptoday.net/washington-still-hasnt-decided-what-cbd-is-as-markets-linger-in-legal-uncertainty/

Thanks to our Sponsors

IND Hemp

indhemp.com

Americhanvre Cast Hemp

americhanvre.com


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

Official website RSS
Industrial Hemp Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Building a Hemp Hub in Northern Illinois with Kifcure [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:54:03
This week on the Hemp Podcast, Lancaster Farming talks with Kelly Burke from Kifcure, an Illinois-based hemp company that is focused on developing the hemp industry in the Land of Lincoln. Burke, along with her husband J…
Hemp in Europe: Voices from the EHIA Conference and Expo in Prague [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:26:24
On this week's Hemp Podcast, I recap my recent visit to the Heart of Europe, the Golden City, the City of a Hundred Spires, the capital city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of the Kingdom of Bohemia — Pr…
Will the Hemp Industry Survive the Miller Amendment? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:19
On this week's hemp podcast we discuss a recent amendment to the House draft of the 2024 Farm Bill known as the Miller Amendment, which was introduced by Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill. The amendment effectively bans all hemp p…
Czech Your Hemp with Hana Gabrielová [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:48
On this week's hemp podcast, Lancaster Farming talks to Czech hemp farmer, consultant and advocate Hana Gabrielová, who started her first hemp company, Hempoint, in 2010 and has been instrumental in developing the hemp i…
Bear Fiber Weaves American Textiles with Hemp [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:39
On this week's Hemp Podcast, we talk to Guy Carpenter, founder of Bear Fiber in North Carolina, where he is spinning a blend of hemp and cotton into yarn and making garments like hats, shirts, and socks. "The vision was…
Industrial Hemp on the National Mall [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:09
Apologies to Jimmy Stewart. I only went to Washington for one day. I took the train from Philadelphia May 6 to record a podcast episode at the Ag on the Mall event on the National Mall in D.C. The National Hemp Associati…
Hempcrete Workshop Lays Foundation to Build Industry and Community [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:34:41
This week's podcast takes us to a hempcrete workshop in Barto, Pennsylvania. That's where Cameron McIntosh of Americhanvre Cast-Hemp hosted a four-day hands-on training session to teach the basics of the spray-applied me…
Exploring Hemp Fiber Agronomy and Genetics [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:04
On this week's hemp podcast, we listen to a panel discussion from the NoCo Hemp Expo that took place in Colorado earlier this month. The panelists were Rachel Berry, a farmer and founder of the Illinois Hemp Growers Asso…
420 Special: Rumble Strip – John Rodgers Weed Farmer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:48
On this 420 Bonus show, we share an episode of one of our favorite podcasts, Rumble Strip. It's made by Erica Heilman who tells stories of rural Vermont. On this episode she interviews Vermonter John Rodgers, a stonemaso…

«1...5678910»