Hemp production coming to Georgia

ALBANY – Like the ubiquitous Hair Club for Men TV pitchman who famously exclaimed, “I’m not just the president; I’m also a client,” Jaime Kiep is not just the owner of a store selling hemp-infused products, he’s also a believer in their effectiveness.

Kiep’s store, Earth and Him CBD Specialties, is located at 2614 N. Jefferson St. He initially was skeptical, and, like many, associated CBD products with the hemp plant’s cousin, marijuana.

“I have two back fractures in my spine,” said Kiep, who decided to try the products for his condition. “Two or three people I talked to used CBD products daily.

“It’s just mind-blowing,” he said of his experience. “My back is great. I haven’t had back pain since I started using CBD.”

This year Georgia, like Florida, joined other states in the production of hemp plants that are used in making CBD products, as well as other products. Earlier this month the Georgia Department of Agriculture released a proposed set of rules related to growing, storing, transporting and processing the plant.

The 2018 U.S Farm Bill removed hemp from the Controlled Substances Act, where it was listed with marijuana as a Schedule I substance said to have a high risk of abuse and no federally accepted medical use. The law allows the production of hemp containing up to .3 percent THC, the main ingredient in marijuana that produces a “high.”

CDB oils are regulated the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Under the proposed Georgia rules, which must be approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, growers must keep records of sampling of plants for THC content exceeding the limit and pesticide use.

The rules also allow for state inspection and destruction of plants violating the requirements concerning THC content and improper use of pesticides.

Those who grow, transport and process hemp must be licensed. Processors would be subject to rules involving records and destruction of hemp products deemed in violation of regulations.

The state Agriculture Department is accepting written comments on the proposed rules through Aug. 12. For additional information, visit http://agr.georgia.gov/notice-of-intent-to-consider-the-adoption-of-hemp-growers-and-processors-rules.aspx.

At Kiep’s store, two women who looked to be in their 50s or 60s were among those who walked in on Tuesday. He said customers, as is his case, have found relief from pain.

The CDB products come in versions that can be taken orally as well as creams and soaps, and Earth and Him carries more than 82 varieties of CBD products. Most of the customers drop a liquid under their tongues.

“My favorite testimonial was an older woman who was in a wheelchair,” Kiep said. “She was in her 80s. Her arthritis was so bad her hands were in balls. A week later her caretaker brought her back and she could open and close her hands. It blew me away.”

With hemp being legal to grow, Kiep said he thinks it will open all kinds of new products, including flooring and alternative fuel.

He said after researching and using the products, he has a newer take than his original one.

After his experience with pain relief, “I prayed about it and opened a store,” he said. “I haven’t had one person come in and say, ‘I want a refund – it doesn’t work.’”

File Photo: Alan Mauldin
AlanMauldin[email protected]
Staff Photo: Alan Mauldin
AlanMauldin[email protected]

Staff Photo: Alan Mauldin
AlanMauldin[email protected]