Speaking to an industry group in the fall of 2015, then-state Agriculture Commissioner James Comer said he saw a bright future for industrial hemp.
“This is going to be a big crop in the state of Kentucky,” Comer said, predicting farmers would grow tens of thousands of acres and that the industry would create thousands of jobs, with hemp fiber, seeds and oil being turned into everything from auto parts and construction materials to pharmaceuticals.
Kentucky “is going to be the epicenter of industrial hemp production in America,” said Comer, a key player in pushing to legalize the crop.
