Courier Journal: Does Kentucky really grow more marijuana?
UC expert weighs in on claim that neighboring state grows the most marijuana
No one really knows how much marijuana is grown in Kentucky, as the crop is illegal, reports the Louisville Courier Journal.
Thus, the long-held belief – that marijuana is the states’ largest cash crop – cannot be validated.
Claims that the state is the top producer “puzzles” Bonnie Rabin, an adjunct professor with the Cannabis Certificate Program at the University of Cincinnati.
“Kentucky doesn’t allow marijuana cultivation, processing or retail, she said, so how could cannabis be the top cash crop?”, Rabin told the journal.
There might also be some confusion between cannabis and hemp, she says.
UC launched the certificate program in 2020. It is offered through the horticulture program in the College of Design, Art, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP)'s School of Planning as a response to an increasing need for knowledgeable graduates familiar with cannabis as the industry becomes more mainstream. It offers students a multi-disciplinary foundation for understanding the cannabis plant and the cannabis industry, enabling them to more readily gain employment in one of its many subfields.
Featured image at top courtesy of Unsplash.
Impact Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction. Next Lives Here.
Related Stories
UC's art collection on display at the Contemporary Arts Center
January 5, 2026
University of Cincinnati leaders joined WVXU's Cincinnati Edition to talk about the university’s 200-year-old art collection, a new exhibition at the Contemporary Arts Center and the release of a companion book exploring the collection’s role in education and public engagement.
UC faculty and staff among Rising Star leadership honorees
January 5, 2026
Two UC faculty and staff members are among this year's Rising Star leadership program sponsored by YWCA Greater Cincinnati. Kelli Beecher, assistant professor in the UC College of Nursing, and Brittany Bibb, assistant director of programs and operations in the UC Division of Student Affairs, are among the emerging leaders of 2026. They were featured in the publication Movers & Makers.
What's behind the mysterious rise of migraines?
January 5, 2026
Weather patterns such as extreme heat and storm conditions have been linked to migraine attacks, and research shows those environmental conditions are becoming more common. As National Geographic recently reported, one of the leading theories behind this mysterious rise is that climate change may be playing a role.