Can animals eat cannabis waste?

(NOVEMBER 26, 2021) Cannabis (marijuana) comes from the hemp plant. It became legal in Oregon in 2016. So now people grow more hemp.

Many growers want only two parts of the plant. Some people use the plant's oil. Other people smoke the flowers. Much of the plant is waste.

Growers don't want to throw away the waste. They want to make more money. They think they can feed the waste to animals. They say the hemp plant is better than other plants.

Scientists at Oregon State University want to learn more. So they test the animal food. What happens to sheep, cows, and chickens?

The answers are unclear. Sheep ate more. They gained weight. Cows ate less. Their milk had less fat. Scientists will test chickens in 2022.

The government worries about the THC. That's the part of the hemp plant that makes a person "high". That means it makes a person feel happy, excited, or relaxed. Too much THC might be a problem. The government wants to protect people who eat the animals or drink their milk.

Scientists say the plant waste has very little THC. So the milk and meat have very little THC, too. However, scientists say the government will decide if it is OK or not.