The Wisconsin Department of Justice is advising law enforcement agencies and the public that a medicinal oil derived from marijuana and hemp is still illegal, despite laws passed in recent years legalizing its use in limited circumstances.
The announcement caught many hemp farmers participating in a new state-authorized program off-guard and could cost the state millions of dollars in outside investment in the product, said Rob Richard, a lobbyist for the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation.
“What they’re telling us is CBD oil under the hemp program is illegal, which is nonsense,” Richard said. “This is just another kick in the gut to farmers and with the timing it’s unacceptable to farming.”
Health stores that sell hemp-based CBD oil without a prescription could also be affected by the DOJ decree, though Jennifer Helmer, an herbalist at Community Wellness in Middleton, said suppliers have advised that the federal law on the issue is murky.
