Virginia Tech files hemp application

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Virginia Tech researchers applied this week for a state license to join the first wave of farmers and scientists who want to relearn the intricacies of hemp cultivation.

“Even though there is a history of growing it, to us, it’s new,” said Saied Mostaghimi, associate dean of Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Tech was one of three universities that had asked for hemp licenses by early Friday afternoon — just ahead of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ deadline for applications. Obtaining the licenses to experiment with what has been a banned substance for decades is an attempt to restart an industry with deep ties to the commonwealth.

A 1619 law in the Virginia colony required settlers to grow hemp to make needed rope and fabric. Later, Thomas Jefferson invented equipment to aid in processing hemp fiber.

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Jim Politis (left) displays hemp stalks during a General Assembly hearing earlier this year as Del. Joseph Yost, R-Pearisburg, looks on.