Oregon authorized hemp cultivation in 2009, however the first hemp grower was licensed by the state’s Department of Agriculture only in 2015, after Congress expressly authorized states to allow hemp cultivation. The state requires separate licenses for cultivation and processing hemp. Each license costs $1,300 a year.

Regarding to Oregon’s new testing requirements that took effect in October 2017, hemp producers are subject to the testing requirements, with 100% of registered hemp fields tested for THC content. ORELAP (Oregon Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program) has already accredited laboratories who are licensed with the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) can conduct pre-harvest testing of industrial hemp.

In October 2021, Oregon State University’s Global Hemp Innovation Center received a $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to define economic feasibility for hemp in the western United States. The five-year project is funded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Sustainable Agricultural Systems grant program.

In January 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s (ODA) plan to regulate hemp production statewide. This approval allows the state through ODA to continue as the primary regulator of hemp production in Oregon. All Oregon hemp growers and handlers must first have their license approved before starting hemp production.

The Vote Hemp reported that 7,808 acres (from about 11,552 licensed) of hemp were grown in Oregon in 2018 comparing to 3,469 acres in 2017 and over 64,000 acres were registered for the 2019 season.

In 2020, there were 28,742 acres of outdoor hemp registered in Oregon with an estimated 14,196 acres of hemp planted, while in 2021, about 8,276 acres were licensed and 6,539 grown, according to the Oregon Department of Agriculture. The number of licensed producers was 1,811 and 875, respectively.

In 2022 and 2023, those numbers dropped further to 294 and 187 growers registered on 3,071 acres and 2,398 acres outdoor. In addition, there were 334 and 227 licensed handlers compared to 595 and 441 in 2020 and 2021.


Oregon Hemp Industry Infographics


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Oregon Cannabis Market