Just west of Starved Rock, under 80 acres of glass, one of the largest greenhouses in North America once produced orchids and poinsettias for big-box stores. Now, that production capacity has been converted to growing hemp — billed as the largest such greenhouse in the country.
Hemp — grown from the same species of cannabis plant that produces marijuana, but without the high — produces CBD oil, a product that has taken off as a popular mainstream supplement, and smokable hemp flower, the latest niche market for the plant.
The company that runs the facility, Red White and Bloom Brands Inc., reached a deal in June to brand its stores and products under the name High Times, after the industry’s iconic magazine. Reversing a trend whereby marijuana producers moved into the hemp business, Red White and Bloom plans to expand from hemp to break into the legal adult-use cannabis market in Illinois — if it can get a license.
Read more at chicagotribune.com