WILLIAMSON COUNTY — The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office is currently investigating recent thefts from a local industrial hemp farm in rural Marion.

Sheriff Bennie Vick says one juvenile suspect has been arrested, and investigators are currently working to identify suspects in a second incident.

The value of the stolen plants is estimated to be over $8,000 if they were processed in an industrial setting.

The sheriff says while an industrial hemp plant may look and smell like a marijuana plant there are some significant differences.

Hemp is grown to harvest plant fibers for textiles or to extract oil from the plants. The oil from hemp plants contains cannabidiol (CBD), which is processed to make consumable CBD oil. In Illinois, industrial hemp is tested to ensure it does not contain significant amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the chemical in marijuana that causes the “high” after consumption.

Another noticeable difference between hemp and marijuana plants is that hemp plants may be grown in an open field, while legal or medicinal marijuana farms are required to have significant security arrangements.

Anyone with information about these thefts should contact the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office at 997-6541 or Williamson County Crimestoppers at 1-800-414-8477 (TIPS). Any information provided through Crimestoppers will remain completely anonymous.