Published by Galaxy Groves | March 25, 2025
What started as a hopeful chapter for Connecticut farmers is now reading like a cautionary tale. A single paragraph in a recent state law is threatening to dismantle the hemp industry that blossomed after the 2018 Farm Bill—and the ripple effects are being felt far and wide.
Among the pioneers of this green movement is Becky Goetsch, a Yale-trained microbiologist turned hemp farmer. At her Running Brook Farm, she saw hemp as both a personal remedy and a professional mission. “CBD came into my life to aid in my recovery,” she shared in a 2021 interview. After weaning off pharmaceuticals with the help of hemp, she began growing it, creating custom tinctures—like CBD with valerian root to help with sleep—and eventually became the first president of the Connecticut Hemp Industry Association (CHIA).
Goetsch, like many others, responded to the federal Farm Bill’s promise of opportunity. Farmers obtained licenses, cultivated acres of hemp, and built businesses around wellness products. But today, their efforts are being undermined—not by nature or market demand, but by legislation.
The Law That Changed Everything
A new state law now restricts the processing and sale of non-psychoactive compounds like CBD to only those holding specific licenses under Connecticut’s adult-use cannabis program. That means independent hemp farmers and processors can no longer legally sell their own CBD products—unless they align with the tightly regulated recreational marijuana framework.
This one regulatory change has effectively shut out the very pioneers who built Connecticut’s hemp market. The intention may have been to streamline safety and quality, but the execution has sidelined small-scale growers, forcing many to shutter operations or operate in legal limbo.
A Case Study in Unintended Consequences
Farmers like Mike Goodenough of SweetHeal CBD—who has invested in hemp processing labs and spent years building a brand rooted in trust and wellness—are now stuck. With product pipelines halted and distribution channels restricted, the promise of hemp is withering.
It’s a frustrating irony: while Connecticut was once seen as a model for responsible hemp regulation, it’s now at risk of becoming a warning story.
Galaxy Groves' Take
At Galaxy Groves, we believe in plant-powered progress—and that includes standing up for the farmers and innovators who helped pioneer the hemp wellness movement. This moment in Connecticut shows how quickly a thriving green economy can be undermined by policy disconnected from on-the-ground reality.
Hemp isn’t just about products—it’s about people. It’s about health, sustainability, and giving farmers a chance to grow something meaningful. And for many, like Goetsch, it’s deeply personal.
We hope lawmakers reconsider, and realign regulation with the spirit of the Farm Bill—access, innovation, and healing.
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