University of Wisconsin's Ellison Lab is an alternative crop genetics research group led by assistant professor Shelby Ellison. The lab primarily focuses on hemp production in Wisconsin. There are two main avenues that hemp is grown for — industrial and cannabinoid hemp.
The Farm Bill of 2018, which redefined the definition of hemp as well as shifted regulations, according to the Wisconsin Legislative Council, allowed the growth of industrial hemp in Wisconsin again. Since then labs and growers alike have worked to expand the knowledge and mitigate controversy around hemp.
A major distinction to understand is that hemp and marijuana are not plants. According to Britannica the United States classifies hemp as containing less than .3% tetrahydrocannabinol, THC, whereas marijuana can contain up to 25% THC. THC is the cause of the traditional psychoactive effects.
The uses of hemp range from grain and fiber products to medicinal purposes. This wide range makes hemp harder to regulate, and is compounded by the fact that Wisconsin is surrounded by marijuana legal states, according to Ellison Lab research program manager Phillip Alberti.
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