Oregon hempseed dispute leads to $21 million lawsuit

A batch of hempseeds in Oregon billed as CBD-rich females that turned out to be neither feminized nor high in the cannabinoid has led to a $21.2 million lawsuit.

That’s how much six people say they lost after the seeds resulted in inferior plants, leading to the lawsuit against three seed dealers in a southern Oregon county, the Portland Business Journal reported.

One of the plaintiffs, Jerry Paul, said he spent a whopping $1 per seed – a total of $86,000 – for the highly vaunted seeds described as “a cross between ‘Special Sauce’ and ‘SGMO’ strains of industrial hemp with an equal or better feminized rate” than others on the market.

Instead, according to Paul’s lawsuit, the seeds were “defective” and packed with pollen. He listed his loss as $11.9 million from low-performing hemp flower worth $12 a pound instead of $60 a pound.

Paul claims he lost another $5.2 million when the inferior plants cross-pollinated and damaged nearby marijuana crops.

Paul’s attorney and lawyers for the three defendants did not immediately respond to calls for comment from Hemp Industry Daily.

Oregon is among the nation’s largest CBD producers, but the state does not certify hempseeds.

Work began just this year at Oregon State University to develop proven hemp performers.