How did NC enter the federal hemp pilot?

NC enrolled via Senate Bill 313 (2015), signed as S.L. 2015-299. The law created Article 50E of Chapter 106 and established the NC Industrial Hemp Commission (initially five members, expanded to nine by HB 992 in 2016). NCSU's Tom Melton chaired; NC A&T's Dr. Guochen Yang and Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page were original commissioners. The first NC growing season was 2017 with ~100 licensed growers.

How big was NC's hemp pilot at peak?

At its 2019 peak, NC's hemp pilot had approximately 1,500 licensed growers across 13,167 outdoor acres plus 5 million sq ft of greenhouse, and roughly 1,200 registered processors — making NC the national leader in licensed hemp acreage and growers. By mid-2025 NC had ~858 USDA-licensed growers, ~400 processors, and ~144 hemp/CBD retail outlets, with acreage at ~850 acres in 2024.

When did NC stop running its own hemp program?

NCDA&CS announced August 16, 2021 that NC would not submit a state plan under the 2018 Farm Bill; cultivation regulation transferred entirely to the USDA Domestic Hemp Production Program. Article 50E of Chapter 106 expired June 30, 2022. Session Law 2022-32 (SB 455), signed June 30, 2022, permanently excluded hemp and hemp-derived products from §90-87 and §90-94 of NC's controlled-substances framework.

Which universities lead NC's hemp research?

NC State University leads applied research through Dr. David Suchoff's Alternative Crops Extension program, with field trials at Cherry and Piedmont Research Stations and direction of the FFAR Hemp Research Consortium with Cornell and Kentucky (April 2022). NC A&T State University runs an Industrial Hemp Program under Dr. Guochen Yang with an HBCU equity focus and Golden LEAF Foundation funding.

What is the most prominent NC tobacco-to-hemp facility?

Open Book Extracts in Roxboro (Person County) — a 76,000 sq ft cGMP hemp processing facility built inside a former tobacco warehouse, founded 2017 by Dave Neundorfer and Oscar "Oz" Hackett. Other major NC hemp companies include Hempleton/The Hemp Farmacy (Wilmington), Founder's Hemp (Asheboro), Criticality LLC (Hobgood, Pyxus Agriculture USA), Abundant Labs (Canton), and Broadway Hemp (Harnett County).

NC Farm Pivot — Golden LEAF, NC State, NC A&T

Legal Disclaimer: This information reflects North Carolina cannabis law as of April 2026 and is for educational purposes only. It is not legal advice. Laws and regulations change — always verify current rules with the EBCI Cannabis Control Board or a qualified attorney. Cannabis remains illegal under federal law.

Last verified: April 2026

How NC Entered the Federal Pilot

NC enrolled in the federal 2014 Farm Bill hemp pilot via Senate Bill 313 (2015), signed as S.L. 2015-299. SB 313 created Article 50E of Chapter 106 of the General Statutes and established the NC Industrial Hemp Commission, originally a five-member body and expanded to nine members by HB 992 in 2016.

Original commissioners

Tom Melton, NC State University — chaired the commission.
Dr. Guochen Yang, NC A&T State University.
Sheriff Sam Page, Rockingham County.

The first NC growing season under the pilot was 2017 with approximately 100 licensed growers. Production scaled rapidly as the federal CBD market accelerated.

The 2019 Peak

Metric	2019 Peak	Mid-2025
Licensed growers	~1,500	~858 USDA-licensed
Outdoor acres	13,167	~850 (2024)
Greenhouse	~5 million sq ft	Reduced significantly
Registered processors	~1,200	~400
Hemp/CBD retail	n/a	~144

NC was the national leader in licensed hemp acreage and growers at the 2019 peak. Then U.S. CBD wholesale prices collapsed under oversupply, and U.S. cultivation dropped 90%+ by 2021.

The 2018 Farm Bill Transition — and NC’s Withdrawal

The 2018 Farm Bill federalized hemp regulation under USDA’s Domestic Hemp Production Program. NCDA&CS announced on August 16, 2021 that NC would not submit a state plan under the new framework. Cultivation regulation transferred entirely to USDA.

Article 50E of Chapter 106 expired June 30, 2022. The same day, Gov. Cooper signed Session Law 2022-32 (SB 455), which permanently excluded hemp and hemp-derived products from § 90-87 and § 90-94 of NC’s controlled-substances framework. That permanent exclusion is the legal foundation of NC’s ongoing intoxicating-hemp market — see the hemp wild west.

NCDA&CS announced August 16, 2021 that NC would not submit a state plan under the 2018 Farm Bill, transferring cultivation regulation to USDA. Article 50E expired June 30, 2022; S.L. 2022-32 permanently excluded hemp from NC §90-87 and §90-94.
NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services

The Research Backbone

NC State University

Dr. David Suchoff, NC State Alternative Crops Extension Specialist, anchors the state’s applied hemp research:

Field trials at the Cherry and Piedmont Research Stations.
Director of the FFAR Hemp Research Consortium (Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research) with Cornell University and the University of Kentucky — launched April 2022.
Statewide Extension portal at hemp.ces.ncsu.edu.

Suchoff has explicitly resisted the framing of hemp as a tobacco replacement:

I don't think any crop will ever be what tobacco will be to North Carolina.
Dr. David Suchoff, NC State Alternative Crops Extension Specialist

NC A&T State University — the HBCU equity dimension

Dr. Guochen Yang leads the NC A&T Industrial Hemp Program with an explicit HBCU equity focus and Golden LEAF Foundation funding. NC has 11 HBCUs — second-most of any state, including NC A&T (the largest HBCU nationally). The HBCU dimension is part of why university hemp research in NC is structurally different from KY’s. See racial equity for the broader policy context.

Major NC Hemp Companies

Open Book Extracts (Roxboro, Person County) — 76,000 sq ft cGMP processing in a former tobacco warehouse, founded 2017 by Dave Neundorfer and Oscar “Oz” Hackett. The most prominent NC tobacco-to-hemp facility pivot.
Hempleton / The Hemp Farmacy (Wilmington) — founded 2016 by Justin Hamilton. NC’s coastal hemp anchor.
Founder’s Hemp (Asheboro) — founded by Bob Crumley.
Criticality LLC (Hobgood) — the Pyxus Agriculture USA subsidiary; tobacco-corporate lineage.
Abundant Labs (Canton) — western NC processing.
Broadway Hemp (Harnett County) — Sandhills region.

Industry Advocacy

Southeast Hemp Association (rebranded from the NC Industrial Hemp Association) — executive director Blake Butler of Asheville, also a co-founder of the HempX expo.
NC Healthy Alternatives Association — the second NC industry trade body.

Both organizations participate in the legislative debate over hemp regulation — including the six 2025 NC bills covered on the 2025 hemp bills page — and in the federal hemp cliff debate around P.L. 119-37.