Hemp grown in Florida may not have different THC levels than hemp grown in Oregon simply due to their opposite climates, according to a new study from Cornell University that dispels the belief hemp grown in certain geographies can produce varied THC amounts. Rather, the hemp seed is the most likely factor affecting THC levels, researchers found.

“[People thought] there was something about how the farmer grew the plant, something about the soil, the weather got too hot, his field was droughted, something went wrong with the growing conditions,” said Larry Smart, a horticulture professor at Cornell and lead author. “But our evidence from this paper is that fields go hot because of genetics, not because of environmental conditions.”

(Not so) fun fact: During the research, the team also learned that as many as two-thirds of the seeds they obtained of one hemp variety – which were all supposed to be low-THC hemp – produced THC above the legal limit of 0.3 percent, underscoring how risky is it for farmers to grow the plant.

Source: AgriMarketing