Hemp Growers Could Have Operation Seized After Lawsuit

A U.S. attorney is suing a West Virginia hemp farm and others, saying they violating the federal Controlled Substances Act. U.S. Attorney Mike Stuart has sued Matthew Mallory of CAMO Hemp WV, and Gary Kale of Grassy Run Farms, which owns the land, The Charleston Gazette-Mail reported the suit charges the farmers with manufacturing, cultivation, possession, and intent to distribute marijuana and not hemp. The complaint says the farmers purchased their hemp seeds in Kentucky and brought them over the West Virginia state line. A state pilot program only allows hemp producers to obtain seeds internationally, via the state Department of Agriculture. If Stuart prevails in the lawsuit, the farmers’ plants, property, equipment and seeds could all be seized and forfeited to the government.