Federal judge shuts down West Virginia hemp farm over seed allegation

A federal judge has ordered a West Virginia hemp farm to shut down over allegations that the operation illegally imported seeds from Kentucky.

U.S. Attorney Mike Stuart argued that Grassy Run and its affiliated company CAMO Hemp WV received about 5,000 pounds of hemp seeds from neighboring Kentucky instead of getting a license for them from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration as required by West Virginia law, according to The (Huntington, West Virginia) Herald-Dispatch.

Stuart also alleged that Grassy Run Farms failed to put up security measures around the hemp, including fences and security cameras, despite telling the West Virginia Department of Agriculture that such measures would be implemented.

U.S. District Judge Robert C. Chambers agreed and issued a temporary restraining order against the two companies. The order also states that the plants cannot be destroyed or altered.

A man who answered the phone at Grassy Run Farms declined to comment on the case, but he said the 135 acres of hemp plants are still in the ground near Winfield.

The companies have not yet filed an answer to the complaint. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for next week.