JENISON, Mich. - From his basement, Jeff Gallagher came up with his business idea for how to capitalize on the benefits of the hemp plant just five years ago.
Now, he's acquired a multi-building facility equipped with a lab and plenty of room to grow. His 30 staffers are kept busy providing customer support and mailing out anywhere from 500 to 600 shipments on a good day. Michigan Herbal Remedies remains somewhat inconspicuous with no signage outside their Jenison facility. It's easier just to direct customers to the 616 Motors dealership next door, which is why MHR conducts most of their business online.
That's about to change, though. Gallagher and his staff have plans of expanding and creating an entire retail storefront and a studio for their marketing department. The one change MHR cannot make happen is a regulatory one. Hemp looks and smells like pot, and in Michigan, it's regulated as such. The difference between the two plants is a big one: their THC content. Hemp plants typically have 0.3 percent THC or less, which is not enough to provide a psychoactive effect. THC levels in marijuana are typically 7 percent or higher.
"Most people think hemp and marijuana are the same exact plants just different parts, and that's not true," Gallagher said.
While consumers can buy hemp products in Michigan, none of that hemp is locally sourced. Proposal 1 could change that. The proposal, which is more popularly known for the proposed legalization of pot, would also legalize industrial hemp. But the difference, Gallagher says, between Prop 1 and a collection of House bills moving through the legislature, is that Prop 1 still groups marijuana and hemp together.
The cultivation of hemp has been outlawed by the federal government for decades, but many states have slowly worked it back into legality.
Michigan could be up next.
"My goal in 2019 would be to have hemp in the ground, I'll even put a 50-by-50 hemp plot right out back here," Gallagher said. "Just to show people what it is."
Gallagher says there are thousands of different uses for hemp: including using it to create a biodegradable plastic, soothe anxious pets or provide muscle relief. But, it's hard to grow. Gallagher said he's heard this from growers in the states he currently sources from like Kentucky and Colorado.
There would be a steep learning curve and new equipment needed to properly harvest a crop like hemp in Michigan. Michigan's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is not weighing in on the topic, yet. There is still much to be seen, even if the proposal passes - hemp's fate still lies on the government's interpretation of the language.
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Emma Nicolas is a multimedia journalist. Have a news tip or question for Emma? Get in touch by email enicolas@wzzm13.com, Facebook or Twitter.