LANCASTER, Ohio — Seven family members in Lancaster recently have come together with one purpose, to bring CBD and CBG to Ohioans. 

“We consider ourselves craft farmers of high-quality hemp flower,” said Alexander Jones, co-founder of Wilde Honey Farms. “We believe in the hemp industry. And that's one of the main reasons for starting this business is we wanted to see the industry thrive in our home state, and we want to be a part of it.” 

Alexander and Drew Jones are brothers and Ohio University graduates. They teamed up with their uncle, John, cousins and aunt in March to create the hemp farm, Wilde Honey Farms.

“We're all Jones’, we're all related,” said John Jones. “All family members are partners in the organization. So we're all equal.” 

“You have to keep up with the Jones',” said Drew Jones.

Alexander got his bachelor's degree in environmental and plant biology at Ohio University and a master's degree in environmental studies. Drew got his bachelor's degree in business administration, entrepreneurship and marketing.  

“Go Bobcats!” said Drew Jones. “Alex knows best. So whatever Alex says goes and we just kind of do it. He knows a lot of what he's doing. So sometimes it's tough being told what to do. But you know we're a family and it all works out.”

The brothers approached Uncle John earlier in 2021 as he had recently moved to a new house on five acres of land. 

“We had five acres just sitting there doing nothing,” said John Jones. “I was just mowing the field to hit golf balls in. So this is a better use of the land.” 

Alexander and Drew have previously been helping other hemp farms get started in the midwest through their consulting business, High Road Consulting. 

“It lit a kind of a fire under me specifically saying, you know, why? Why are we doing this for everybody else, when we can do this for ourselves, too,” said Drew Jones.  

Now they’re seeing the fruits of their labor come to life on their own farm.  

“It's been a long summer,” said Alexander Jones. “We battled a little bit with a drought early on, but we've been really benefiting lately from these rains the past couple of weeks and things are really starting to look great.”

Wilde Honey Farms currently grows seven different hemp varieties of CBD and CBG. The Jones’ planted everything by hand. 

“A lot of backbreaking days, every day for hours and hours and hours coming out here and planting, coming through and de-vining, pulling weeds and weed whacking,” said Drew Jones. 

CBD can be derived from both the hemp and marijuana plant, which are the same species. However, CBD products are only federally legal if they're derived from the hemp plant as the hemp plant contains up to 0.3% THC and is nonpsychoactive, so it won’t get users high. Although CBD is technically legal at the federal level, some states have their own mandates and guidelines restricting the growth and usage of hemp. Cannabigerol or CBG is also federally legal if it is sourced from hemp plants containting up to 0.3% THC.

Hemp-derived CBD and CBG products are legal in Ohio. 

“The Department of Agriculture comes out and they test our product to make sure that the THC percentage is lower than 0.3%,” said Drew Jones. “And we use natural farming methods. So we're not using pesticides, we're not using herbicides.”

According to Harvard, studies show that CBD may help aid in anxiety relief, pain relief and may help with both falling asleep and staying asleep, among other benefits. CBG is being marketed for the alleviation of anxiety, pain, infection, inflammation, nausea, and even the treatment of cancer, yet virtually all studies on CBG have been done on animals so it's difficult to infer its effects on humans.

Currently, there is one drug that the FDA has approved, Epidiolex, which contains a purified form of CBD for the treatment of seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome or Dravet syndrome in patients 2 years of age and older.

“Many people have experienced benefits from using CBD products made from hemp,” said Alexander Jones. “However, many products are not approved by the FDA yet.”

It’s an industry with a lot to discover and one that the Lancaster family is ready to explore.  

“It's kind of a thirst for knowledge almost, we are just now scratching the surface of what this plant has to offer,” said Alexander Jones. “It seems like we're just learning something new every day, which is ultimately very exciting. And it's fun to come to work.”

Wilde Honey Farms is currently seeking their processor's license so they can make their own CBD products in-house. They hope to have hemp-derived CBD products hitting the shelves in the coming months. People can keep in touch and follow along with their journey through their Instagram or by visiting wildehoneyfarms.com.