Below, Graham Redfern, owner of and operator of Redfern Hemp Co., wants you to know what’s at stake. New federal proposals could make many of the hemp products you rely on illegal overnight. For years, we’ve fought through confusing rules and misinformation just to keep high-quality, Virginia-grown hemp affordable and accessible — for you and your families. Now, we need your support more than ever. If you believe in what hemp stands for and what it’s done for your life, your health, or your community, it’s time to make your voice heard before it’s too late.
Dear Redfern Hemp Supporters,
We want to give a huge thank you to Tony Harris for tackling such a difficult and overcomplicated subject. Here’s the link to his recent article featuring yours truly: RVA MAg | The Last of the Virginia Hemp Farmers. It’s hard enough for most people to understand the ins and outs of farming, but when you add another layer of confusing regulations — dealing with cannabinoids, testing standards, COAs, and endless points and percentages — it becomes almost impossible to explain how all these little things pile up and crush the small farmer. Each rule adds cost, time, and frustration, and together they’ve managed to choke what should have been a vibrant, exciting new marketplace for America’s producers.
Unfortunately, because of years of propaganda and misinformation about this industry — some of it deserved because of a few bad actors, but most of it not — too many folks have turned a blind eye to the truth. But if we throw up our hands instead of rolling up our sleeves, we risk losing a massive new agricultural opportunity that could support Virginia farmers and families for generations to come.
I wish I had better news to share, but the federal government is now trying once again to change the definition of hemp. Their proposal would classify any product containing more than 0.2 milligrams of THC as marijuana. Overnight, that would turn our entire industry — farmers, retailers, manufacturers, and consumers — into criminals. Everything we’ve worked so hard to build, and all the products that so many people and pets have come to depend on, could be stripped away in an instant. Our dreams are being crushed right before our eyes.
Right now, in Virginia, hemp products are legal to sell with up to 2 milligrams of THC per package. Nationally, the long-standing standard allows 0.3% total THC by product weight, which reflects the plant’s natural chemistry and has served as the foundation of hemp regulation for years. That’s the standard we’d like to see reintroduced here in Virginia. Unfortunately, the farmers, processors, testers, and small business owners who have built this industry are being stonewalled from the policy conversation. We’re becoming political collateral in a larger fight that has nothing to do with us, while our livelihoods hang in the balance.
At Redfern, we pride ourselves on being real people — the salt of the earth. We didn’t ask for these fights, but we’ve taken them on year after year because we believe in what we do and who we serve. We believe that everyday people deserve affordable access to safe, high-quality hemp products made right here in Virginia. But we can’t do it alone.
If you care about keeping hemp legal and accessible, now’s the time to make your voice heard. Reach out, stay informed, and get involved in the effort to protect this industry — not just for businesses like ours, but for every farmer, worker, and family that depends on it.
depends on it.
— Graham Redfern
Owner, Redfern Hemp Company
Caroline County, Virginia