A history in hemp: Motive CBD begins Ohio’s first legal hemp harvest
One of the first and largest hemp harvests in Ohio began this week at the hands of Motive CBD, a CBD (cannabidiol) brand leading the charge in locally grown hemp.
Husband and wife team Corey Poches and Kelly Hondros are harvesting nearly 12,000 hemp plants from Hondros’s Centerburg family farm to use in topical and ingestible CBD wellness products for Motive. The couple started the company in 2019 in anticipation of the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s recent approval of hemp farming regulations.
“As a family and as a couple, we wanted to really touch every piece of the process,” Hondros said. “We want to get involved on the hemp side knowing that that’s going to better business and the quality of our product.”
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The products are derived from hemp, a relative of marijuana, although they contain no THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the chemical that produces a psychoactive response often referred to as “high.”
Poches said Ohio actually had a rich history of hemp farming prior to its prohibition. The fibrous plant was used in everything from paper to parachutes before it was swept up into the fervor of the anti-marijuana movement and the war on drugs.
“I think our biggest thing, the thing we sit around and talk about, whether it’s at the boardroom, the dinner table, etc., is just education, education, education,” Poches said.
CBD products are marketed as wellness products for a variety of uses, including pain management and sleep aid. Due to its stigma, there is little research into the effects of CBD, and the Food and Drug Administration has not approved it for most applications, so brands like Motive have to be careful about making any specific medical claims.
Research is the next major hurdle for the industry, according to Hondros. She is excited to work with local doctors, researchers, and universities to prove that their products are safe and effective.
“I think research is just necessary in any industry for consumers to feel safe, especially now, when healthcare and wellness is just becoming so important in everyone’s daily life,” she said.
Although Poches and Hondros are fighting an uphill battle with their business, it’s one that the couple is personally invested in. Both of them and Hondros’s parents use the products and have seen the positive effects firsthand.
“We like to share success stories and opportunities and things that we are fortunate enough to experience with others,” said Poches. “It really hits close to home with the family. So that was really our purpose and drive behind it.”
Hondros estimates that the first batch of Motive products containing Ohio-grown CBD will roll out in December. More information about the products can be found on Motive’s website here.
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