A nonprofit publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism

Vending machines selling industrial hemp products could be coming to a Kentucky city near you


This graphic appears on the Green Remedy web site

This graphic, which appears on the Green Remedy website, illustrates many uses for the hemp plant. (Click for larger image)

By Greg Paeth
NKyTribune Senior Reporter

A Bardstown company that sells products made with industrial hemp through its website plans to begin offering those items in specially designed vending machines in some of the state’s larger cities.

All of the products are made outside of Kentucky and are “100 percent legal,” said Chris Smith, vice president and one of the owners of Green Remedy, Inc.

“All of the products are legal to sell in all 50 states. We have agreements with four manufacturers in the United States to make them,” Smith said.

green remedy

He stressed that the products are of no benefit to anyone who’s hoping to use any of them to get the kind of high that can be produced by smoking marijuana. The chance of getting high with his products “is zero. They have no psycho-active effects. It won’t get you high. No way,” Smith said.

Green Remedy has leased five ZaZZZ vending machines from a company called American Green in Tempe, AZ. The machines have been used elsewhere in the country where marijuana can be purchased legally for medical or recreational purposes.

They have been located in marijuana dispensaries where purchasers must show an ID to enter the shop. Once the customer has been screened at the door, he or she has access to the vending machine.

Smith said that the machines could be used to sell marijuana or related products in Kentucky if the state legalized the sale of the drug. But he said that because Kentucky is a conservative state, he doesn’t think legalization will happen anytime soon.

Although Smith insists his products won’t provide a buzz for customers, the website suggests otherwise. Underneath the website name is the slogan “Health to a higher level” with an emphasis on “higher.”

Smith said the machines won’t be delivered for at least a month and that he plans to locate them in larger cities such as Louisville, Lexington and in Northern Kentucky. He said health food stores and other shops that may be associated with the counter culture would be logical places to install the machines.

His products include cosmetics, lotions, oils, vapors, dietary supplements, hair care products and products for pets.

He said he has not finalized agreements with any retailers at this point.

Smith said he hopes to restrict sales of his products to people who are 18 or older who make vending machine purchases with credit cards.

ZaZZZ sells vending machines for hemp products

The ZaZZZ vending, manufactured by Arizona-based American Green, will be used for sales of hemp products.

Smith also said his company has applied to participate in the state’s pilot program through which some industrial hemp growers are working with universities to determine whether hemp can once again be a viable crop for Kentucky farmers.

Adam Watson, industrial hemp program coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, confirmed that Green Remedy was one of the 326 applicants to participate in the pilot program this year. About 20 growers and universities took part in the program last year, he said.

A committee in the department is evaluating the applications and is expected to announce a decision about who will participate in the program this year in about two weeks, Watson said.

“There is no illicit value to industrial hemp,” said Watson, who explained that the level of THC, the chemical that can create a high, is extremely low in industrial hemp.

Outside of the pilot program, it’s illegal to grow industrial hemp in Kentucky unless the grower has received permission from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Watson said. Because of its similarities to marijuana, it has been illegal to grow hemp in the United States for more than 40 years. Industrial hemp is classified with marijuana, heroin and cocaine as a dangerous controlled substance.

If Green Remedy plans to sell anything through a vending machine in Kentucky, the company has to get a permit from the state’s Cabinet for Health and Family Services, said Beth Fisher, a spokeswoman for the cabinet. She said the actual operation of the vending machine would be regulated by the health department that has jurisdiction where the machine is located.

She said she did not know if any special conditions would apply to the Green Remedy products.

Kentucky launched the pilot program last year after the federal government passed a farm bill that allowed for states to create programs that would determine if it made sense to lift some of the restrictions and allow farmers to grow hemp. The state’s website said the material has a wide variety of uses, including in fabrics, textiles, paper, cosmetics and carpeting and as an insulating material.

An  example of the products Green Remedy sells on its web site

An example of the products Green Remedy sells on its web site

Besides the federal farm bill, the Kentucky General Assembly passed legislation in 2013 that was designed to set the stage for Kentucky to become a leader in the production and commercialization of industrial hemp.

Kentucky was once a leader in hemp production and much of the country’s supply was produced in the Bluegrass region of the state in the 19th and 20th centuries.

In the wake of the recent relaxation of marijuana laws elsewhere in the country – most notably in Colorado and Washington State – two Congressmen introduced legislation last Friday that would legalize pot at the federal level.

Rep. Jared Polis (D-Col.) introduced a bill that would remove marijuana from the Controlled Substance Act, transfer enforcement responsibilities from the DEA to the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and regulate the drug the way alcohol is regulated. Legislation proposed by Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) would create a federal excise tax on marijuana.

Neither bill would require a state to legalize marijuana. Although a number of states have relaxed their laws in recent years, the sale, possession, distribution and production of marijuana are still illegal under federal law.


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