A hemp company that plans to put their CBD products on the shelves of major retailers like Walmart and CVS celebrated the opening of their new facility in west Kentucky on Friday.
California-based company Vertical repurposed a 90,000 square-foot facility in Trigg County to be their base of operations for manufacturing CBD oil using hemp from local farmers.
Hemp can currently only be grown under limited conditions. That’s expected to change in the next Farm Bill - and Kentucky plans on being a leading producer, as it was 200 years ago. Congressman James Comer has long advocated for the crop:
“I’ve never believed that hemp would ever be where tobacco was, but I believe that hemp’s going to be one of the major crops in Kentucky for many, many years to come,” said Comer.
Comer credited nearby Murray State University as “the leading research university for hemp in the nation.” Vertical COO Drew Milburn said with research and development underway, hemp could have uses that haven’t been thought of. The company plans to hire more than 100 people and has already sets its sights on growing.
