The Desert Whale: the boom and bust of hemp in Arizona.

Background: This paper examines the factors that led to the collapse of hemp grown for cannabidiol (CBD) in Arizona, the United States of America (USA), and particularly in Yuma County, which is a well-established agricultural area in the state.

Methods: This research uses a combination of mapping analysis along with a survey of hemp farmers to assess the reasons why the hemp industry collapsed as well as to foster solutions to these problems.

Results: In 2019, 5430 acres were sown with hemp seed in Arizona with 3890 acres inspected by the state to determine if they could be harvested.