NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Hemp advocates in Tennessee believe farmers in the state could benefit from pursuing selling their products to people who make hemp plastic.
Hemp plastic substitutes out some of petroleum ingredients in plastic to create a similar product, according to Matt Walczyk.
"As soon as we can start using hemp plastics, and get that going in a major commercial market, that is when all of the small hemp farmers are going to start really seeing the industry stabilize and you can see the hemp industry being a long-term career path instead of this grey area that we're in now,” Walczyk said.
Walczyk and some others have experimented with building plastic products using 3D printers. The hemp plastic they’re using now is from existing products online, but there’s no reason the plastic couldn’t be made in Tennessee.
If you’re a 3D printer enthusiast who happens to like gardening, Walczyk said you can pay $250, fill out your application and grow hemp this year.
“You don't have to smoke it. You don't have to sell it for tinctures or CBD oils, you can make plastics with it. Or anything else your heart desires,” he added.
