Colorado’s nascent hemp industry may get a boost from a grower’s plan to use hemp stalks for insulation. Baca County farmer Ryan Loflin said Monday he has formed a partnership with Hollis, Okla.-based Western Fibers for combining processed hemp stalks with recycled newspapers and cardboard to create wall and ceiling insulation.

Hemp is genetically related to marijuana but contains little or no THC, the psychoactive substance in marijuana. Hemp has dozens of uses in food, cosmetics, clothing and industrial materials.

Commercial cultivation of hemp became legal in Colorado under Amendment 64, better known as the law that authorized retail sales of marijuana. Analysts say hemp’s potential to become a significant crop hinges on establishing in-state industrial uses for its seed and fiber.

“This could really help get the industry going,” said Loflin, who in 2013 planted the nation’s first commercial hemp crop in almost 56 years. “Until now, there really hasn’t been an industrial infrastructure for hemp in Colorado.” [Read more at The Denver Post]