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RALEIGH — The clock is ticking on hemp licenses for North Carolina farmers.

N.C. farmers, including several in McDowell Conty, now are licensed under the federal government’s 2014 hemp pilot program. If the state’s 2019 Farm Act doesn’t pass in the next couple of months, farmers will have to register for licenses under U.S. Department of Agriculture rules to continue legally growing hemp. But if the N.C. Department of Agriculture submits its own plan, farmers will need a third license. This would lead to unnecessary headaches for farmers over fees and rule changes, said Marne Coit, an agricultural law lecturer who publishes updates on state hemp law through the N.C. State Extension online portal.

Consultant firm Cowen & Co., an investment banking firm, recently projected the U.S. market for consumer products derived from cannabis in hemp — from cosmetics to pharmaceuticals — could surpass $16 billion by 2025.

The state’s pilot program expires Oct. 30. That leaves two options moving forward: Either farmers will apply directly to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for hemp licenses, or the N.C. Department of Agriculture will submit a state plan to the USDA for approval. So far, NCDA has not officially said whether it will submit a plan.