Wright City is open to businesses wanting to grow or process industrial hemp, but the city’s board of aldermen has significantly restricted where such an operation can be located.Hemp is a variant of cannabis that is nearly devoid of THC, the chemical that gives marijuana its psychoactive effects. Missouri legalized hemp as an agricultural and industrial crop starting in 2018.On Oct. 10, Wright City aldermen approved a new zoning ordinance to allow hemp cultivation only in areas zoned for heavy industry. The ordinance specifically precludes hemp from being grown in agricultural zones, and leaves it out of areas zoned for lighter industry.A group of area advocates and business owners had sought changes to the ordinance, hoping for looser regulations on where hemp operations could be located. However, Wright City aldermen approved the ordinance 3-0, with Ward 2 Alderman Kerry Lambright absent.City Administrator Jim Schuchmann said the city’s goal is to keep hemp production separate from residential areas. He said there is potential for strong odors, or for a fire hazard if a business involves processing hemp for the oils and compounds that can be made from it.“The reason for the heavy industrial district is for those processes that could pose a risk, to move them away from the residential districts, to make sure there’s a safe buffer there if anything were to occur,” Schuchmann explained.With industrial hemp growing in popularity as a business, Schuchmann said the city took time to consider the future impacts and risks of where it allows related operations. The hemp zoning ordinance was originally considered by the board of aldermen in August, but was postponed after advocates and an area business requested that cultivation and processing be allowed in areas zoned for light industry.A major difference between “light” and “heavy” industrial areas in Wright City is that light industry is allowed adjacent to residential areas.When aldermen returned to the topic Oct. 10, they decided to approve the hemp zoning without loosening the location restriction.“(The board) just didn’t feel it was in the best interest of public safety to allow cultivation in light industrial,” Schuchmann commented.Josh Riebe, fire marshal for Wright City Fire Protection District, said a risk for fire is introduced during the process of extracting a chemical called CBD from hemp plants.Consumable products made with CBD oil, marketed as a type of natural supplement, are one of the drivers of the growing hemp industry.“The concern when you’re dealing with CBD oil and the extraction process ... it can be a very volatile process,” Riebe commented. He added that once CBD oil has been mixed into a product, it’s safe to store.Riebe said he does not currently have information on what fire risks might be associated with the growing of hemp. That research will be conducted once there is an actual proposal for a growing facility, he said.Brady Houdashelt, co-owner of Hemp CBD Superstore in Warrenton, was among a group of advocates who asked the board of aldermen to adopt looser restrictions during a public hearing on the subject Aug. 22. Houdashelt’s company runs a distribution facility on North Locust Street, where it is zoned for light industrial use.Houdashelt has been a strong advocate for the hemp and CBD industry. While the Hemp CBD Superstore and its parent company, ProTeam Brady, currently function as a retail outlet and distributor, Houdashelt has previously expressed interest in cultivation and product manufacturing in Wright City. He asked the board of aldermen to allow hemp cultivation in areas zoned for light industry.“Hemp has been removed from the controlled substances act and separated from (marijuana),” Houdashelt commented. “It’s a legal agricultural product like corn or soy. I don’t know why it would have separate zoning.”He said the city might not be fully informed on recent state and federal policies surrounding hemp, and that officials seemed to be treating hemp too similarly to medical marijuana.It would also be incorrect to limit growing hemp based on fears around CBD extraction, Houdashelt said.“Growing hemp is different from extracting (CBD). Just growing hemp doesn’t mean you’re extracting.” Houdashelt said CBD extraction was not proposed as part of his company’s plans for its Wright City location.He said he doesn’t fault city officials for not having a complete understanding of such a new industry, and that he and his team are hoping to educate the community about industrial hemp.Schuchmann said Houdashelt’s current Wright City operation, which only involves distributing and storing pre-manufactured CBD and hemp products, was already allowed at the Locust Street facility and doesn’t conflict with the new ordinance. But Schuchmann said cultivating hemp will not be allowed at that site.Hemp rulesUnder the industrial hemp ordinance, cultivators must have appropriate registration as required by the Missouri Department of Agriculture or Department of Health and Senior Services, depending on the specific business.Hemp cultivation must be entirely indoors in a heavy industrial zone. Currently the only such zone is the city’s industrial park in the area of Veterans Memorial Parkway and South Stringtown Road.Cultivators must also submit a site plan for review and receive a conditional use permit from the board of aldermen. The city’s requirements for approval include methods for odor control and a commitment not to use any chemicals or pesticides that aren’t approved by state regulators.All hemp being grown must contain less than 0.3 percent THC, and must be tested based on requirements from the Missouri Department of Agriculture. Businesses must also have a hemp plant monitoring system and keep records of crops and seeds, another state requirement.Beside the distinction of lacking THC, the regulations on hemp are similar to medical marijuana regulations that Wright City approved in May. Cultivation and production facilities were also confined to areas of heavy industry. Medical marijuana dispensaries were approved for general business areas, but specifically excluded from Wright City’s downtown district.The city also chose to have a 1,000-foot buffer zone between marijuana-related businesses and any church, school or day care. No such buffer exists for hemp, save for the fact that the city decides where heavy industry will be allowed.Wright City Hall