Nineteen states, from Colorado to Indiana, have approved pilot studies of industrial hemp, says Harvest Public Media, “But hemp is still governed by a network of conflicting federal and state laws. That can make it tough for researchers…to build a foundation of scientific literature without running afoul of the law.” Nolan Kane, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Colorado, says little is known about the plant’s basic composition. The university has a project to build a map of hemp’s genetic code. The 2014 farm law authorized research on hemp but the provision “is vague,” which discourages funding for research, says Harvest Public Media.
All the same, the two largest Colorado universities have a joint hemp research project. The cautious approach by public institutions allows an opening for private researchers. “The list of more than 200 registered hemp growers in Colorado includes dozens of private entities and individuals…growing on small plots of land for research and development,” it says.