"It can be a billion-dollar crop if we wanted it to be," said Geoff Whaling, president of the Pennsylvania Hemp Industrial Council.

"It can be a billion-dollar crop if we wanted it to be," said Geoff Whaling, president of the Pennsylvania Hemp Industrial Council.

HORRY COUNTY, SC (WMBF) - The medical marijuana bill, which is currently in discussion in the state Senate, and a law that would allow farmers to grow industrial hemp are two separate issues.

HORRY COUNTY, SC (WMBF) - The medical marijuana bill, which is currently in discussion in the state Senate, and a law that would allow farmers to grow industrial hemp are two separate issues.

With a long list of uses and applications, industrial hemp holds tremendous profit potential for Kentucky farmers.

The plant is almost magical, advocates say, with a range of applications from paper to medicine. So why is it illegal to grow?

As interest in industrial hemp has grown, so too has interest in hemp-centric production.

Every part of the hemp plant has great market value‒the seeds, stalks, leaves and hurd (the woody core of the stalk). Traditionally, Natives used hemp to make medicinal salve, fishing nets and clothing.

Could industrial hemp be the rotational crop of the future in the Midwest?

There’s a common misconception that’s been confusing people for decades: Hemp is marijuana.

There’s a common misconception that’s been confusing people for decades: Hemp is marijuana.

A cutting-edge refinery is processing specially bred hemp and researching innovative new biomaterials that could help build future eco-friendly homes.

Both the federal government and various state governments have taken major steps forward in restarting an industry that has been in hibernation for almost a century.

Some people are trying to convince Idaho lawmakers to make it legal to grow industrial hemp in the state for research.

Some people are trying to convince Idaho lawmakers to make it legal to grow industrial hemp in the state for research.

Motorists do double-takes as they gawk at fields of cannabis plants flowering just outside Ashland, Oregon.

HAYWOOD COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — History was made at the North Carolina-Tennessee border Friday night as the first permitted industrial hemp plants were trucked into the mountains.

There’s one piece of legislation that seems to be getting broad bipartisan support in Springfield.

There’s one piece of legislation that seems to be getting broad bipartisan support in Springfield.

Like marijuana, industrial hemp comes from the cannabis plant, but it does not have large concentrations of the compound that makes marijuana a high-inducing drug.

Like marijuana, industrial hemp comes from the cannabis plant, but it does not have large concentrations of the compound that makes marijuana a high-inducing drug.

The renewed interest in hemp comes as CBD extracts gain popularity even in places where medical marijuana isn't legal.

A goal of the Texas Hemp Industries Association, besides educating people on industrial hemp, is to encourage Texans to vote for the legalization of hemp farming in Texas.

A goal of the Texas Hemp Industries Association, besides educating people on industrial hemp, is to encourage Texans to vote for the legalization of hemp farming in Texas.

The United States Department of Agriculture needs to get more involved in creating solutions to the governmental problems of turning industrial hemp into a viable crop.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators who have resisted proposals to legalize marijuana for medical use are advancing a proposal aimed at making the state an industrial hemp powerhouse.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators who have resisted proposals to legalize marijuana for medical use are advancing a proposal aimed at making the state an industrial hemp powerhouse.

RENO COUNTY, Kan. - As the Kansas farm economy struggles farmers are considering anything that can help turn a profit, even if it means changing state law.

RENO COUNTY, Kan. - As the Kansas farm economy struggles farmers are considering anything that can help turn a profit, even if it means changing state law.

Kentucky's Agriculture Commissioner is asking the federal government to reconsider its latest set of rules regarding industrial hemp.

Kentucky's Agriculture Commissioner is asking the federal government to reconsider its latest set of rules regarding industrial hemp.

Three members of Kentucky’s U.S. Congressional delegation joined 16 other members of Congress in a letter Wednesday seeking clarification from federal agencies regarding industrial hemp guidelines.

Kentucky officials are expecting a significant jump in hemp cultivation during 2017.

Kentucky officials are expecting a significant jump in hemp cultivation during 2017.

Kentucky is experimenting with industrial hemp – as dozens of farmers grow test plots covering 45-hundred acres.

Kentucky is experimenting with industrial hemp – as dozens of farmers grow test plots covering 45-hundred acres.

The Kentucky Senate has passed a bill to update state law governing hemp production.

The Kentucky Senate has passed a bill to update state law governing hemp production.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) – Crews at Farmington harvested the property’s first hemp crop in more than 150 years.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) – Crews at Farmington harvested the property’s first hemp crop in more than 150 years.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Republican lawmakers want to help Wisconsin's once-dominant hemp industry make a comeback, giving farmers the chance to add a versatile and hardy plant to their fields.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Republican lawmakers want to help Wisconsin's once-dominant hemp industry make a comeback, giving farmers the chance to add a versatile and hardy plant to their fields.

Years of breeding and manipulation resulted in the emergence of two varieties: one for medicinal and spiritual purposes, the other for agricultural and industrial uses.

Years of breeding and manipulation resulted in the emergence of two varieties: one for medicinal and spiritual purposes, the other for agricultural and industrial uses.

Over the past two years a number of new marijuana-related businesses have registered in Vermont.

Over the past two years a number of new marijuana-related businesses have registered in Vermont.

Three members of Kentucky’s U.S. Congressional delegation joined 16 other members of Congress in a letter Wednesday seeking clarification from federal agencies regarding industrial hemp guidelines.

With her own official Twitter account and a town in Tottori Prefecture behind her, Japan’s first ever cannabis character comes dressed as a pink-haired shrine maiden.