Coit and Post Teach First Industrial Hemp Class at NC State

This May, students gathered for the first academic course on industrial hemp offered at NC State. Called Business & Law of Industrial Hemp, the course was a condensed Maymester offering developed by Dr. Marne Coit of Agriculture & Resource Economics and co-taught by Dr. Angela Post of Crop & Soil Science.

The purpose of the course was to provide students with knowledge about the emerging and quickly growing field of industrial hemp. The focus of the class was on hemp law, production practices and business planning. It included guest lectures by professionals throughout the hemp industry who spoke on a wide range of topics such as processing, owning a business that sells CBD products, brewing beer with hemp, and attorneys who specialize in hemp law.

In addition, there were three full days of field trips during which students visited a buying station, an integrated farm and processing facility, labs where testing for THC is done, and a hemp retail store and got to experience these facilities first hand.

Throughout the course students were encouraged to take advantage of networking opportunities with guest lecturers and hosts at the site visits. They were also encouraged to network with and collaborate with one another as they go out and build their own hemp-related businesses.