Colombian hemp seeds being exported to Denver

A Toronto-based biopharmaceutical cannabinoid company is exporting 100,000 hemp seeds to Denver from Colombia through a subsidiary there.

The first seeds were exported Thursday, according to Avicanna CEO Aras Azadian. Avicanna develops, manufactures and sells plant-derived cannabanoid-based products.

Exporting all the seeds will be completed in the next two weeks.

The Colombian government said that Santa Marta Golden Hemp, Avicanna’s subsidiary, had completed all the necessary requirements for exporting.

For decades, all viable hemp and marijuana seeds could be imported into the U.S. only with permission by the Drug Enforcement Administration; the 2018 Farm Bill paved the way for agricultural hemp seed imports overseen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Although the Colombian government said the seeds are going to Denver, it didn’t specify which business or businesses are receiving them. The hempseed exports are the first to come out of Colombia, the government said.