From glut to gloom, hemp farmers in Oregon face uncertain future

Earlier this month, commissioners in Josephine and Jackson counties declared a state of emergency under a new Oregon law to stop state regulators from issuing new licenses to grow hemp in their counties. State lawmakers passed House Bill 3000 last summer to tighten testing regulations on the hemp industry and boost enforcement activity against marijuana being grown illegally on licensed hemp farms.

The heightened scrutiny of their industry has made some legitimate hemp farmers concerned about the future of hemp in Oregon.

“There’s a pretty deep chill in the market right now,” said Mason Walker, the CEO and co-owner of East Fork Cultivars, which grows nine acres of hemp and one acre of marijuana in Josephine County.