A Minnesota hemp farmer faces two felony charges after a traffic stop led to authorities seizing his hemp products and finding elevated THC levels.
Luis Hummel, who owns 5th Sun Gardens in Lanesboro, Minnesota, haves felony drug-possession charges for growing the seized hemp, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported.
The plants tested at 3% THC, 10 times higher than the THC limit for legal hemp, which is 0.3%.
Hummel told authorities that THC in his hemp products goes up when concentrated, according to the criminal complaint. Hummel allegedly said that he tries to make his hemp products seem like marijuana to “entice the buyer,” then he removes most of the THC.
The charges come amid a legal fight between Hummel and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.
In May, state officials told Hummel that his hemp growing license had been revoked because of elevated THC tests. They ordered him to destroy his entire crop.
Hummel is fighting the agriculture department in court, saying it revoked his license without due process.
Paul Johnson, president of the Minnesota Hemp Farmers and Manufacturers Association, told the Pioneer Press that Hummel’s case underscores the need for more specific regulations.
“It shows how the regulation is not contemporaneous with what is really happening,” Johnson said.
