North Carolina farmers have been growing industrial hemp since 2017.  North Carolina’s legislature set up an industrial hemp pilot program in 2016 and temporary rules to govern the program were adopted in 2017. The NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services regulated industrial hemp cultivation. Processors should register with the Industrial Hemp Commission. Each license costs $250 initial fee in addition to an annual fee of $250 for less than 50 acres or $500 for more than 50 acres, as well as a $2/acre or $2/1,000 square feet of greenhouse fee.

The Vote Hemp reported that 3,184 acres of hemp were grown in North Carolina in 2019 compared to 965 acres in 2018. The number of licensed areas more than tripled to 11,572 acres.

Senate Bill 315, the North Carolina Farm Bill of 2019, passed the House on August 21, 2019. The bill officially authorizes and regulates statewide hemp growing, expands a North Carolina pilot program by modifying the North Carolina Hemp Commission to become a regulatory body, sets guidelines for licensing, and it also requires retailers to get a license before selling CBD products.

In 2021, there were 1,500 growers registered on 14,200 acres outdoor (14,562 acres in 2020) and 6.8 million square feet greenhouse area (7.1 million square feet in 2020). 2,908 and 2,150 acres were planted in 2020 and 2021 years, respectively.

Starting in 2022, North Carolina farmers interested in growing hemp began getting their licenses from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

In 2022, the amount of registered outdoor acreage and indoor square feet significantly declined as a result of oversupply and market correction across the industry, and 900 acres were planted in the state. The Industrial Hemp Commission registered 1,555 processors.

In 2023, the USDA licensed 589 hemp growers in North Carolina. There were 1,413 hemp processors registered with the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

North Carolina Hemp Industry Infographics

North Carolina Cannabis Market