The prospect of growing industrial hemp for a living in Rowan County is apparently a hot topic.

The prospect of growing industrial hemp for a living in Rowan County is apparently a hot topic.

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.

ASHEBORO — City officials approved a zoning permit for what may be the first hemp food processing plant in North Carolina.

ASHEBORO — City officials approved a zoning permit for what may be the first hemp food processing plant in North Carolina.

RALEIGH -  The state commission charged with fostering an industrial hemp industry in North Carolina is considering joining a lawsuit against a government agency that it agrees is making things difficult: the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

RALEIGH -  The state commission charged with fostering an industrial hemp industry in North Carolina is considering joining a lawsuit against a government agency that it agrees is making things difficult: the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Textile mills in regions such as Western North Carolina lie dormant while Americans import about $500 million worth of hemp annually.

Textile mills in regions such as Western North Carolina lie dormant while Americans import about $500 million worth of hemp annually.