Although the tall green plant appears very similar to the psychoactive variety of cannabis, anyone trying to get high from it would have to consume around half a field to feel any effect.
Seeds from the crop are currently pressed and used to make cooking oils and nutrition supplements.
The company also has a long list of other potential uses for the plant which it hopes to soon begin capitalising on.
The farmers growing the plant are now warning any would-be thieves that hemp is a controlled substance and they could face prosecution if they are caught stealing it.
Dave Ryan, chief executive of Jersey Hemp, warned the public that many of the company’s fields are covered by security cameras.
‘We had an isolated case where CCTV cameras captured someone going into one of our fields, taking some of our crop and driving off,’ he said.
‘As part of our licence requirements we need to report the theft or vandalism of our crop to the authorities.
‘If anyone takes the plant out of the field it becomes a controlled substance and it is illegal to have it on you.’
Mr Ryan added that he did not want anyone to get into trouble and was keen to educate Islanders about the potential consequences of taking the crop.
‘People need to realise even if it is your grandmother out walking her dog and she breaks some of the plant off and takes it with her she would be breaking the law and we do not want people to get into trouble,’ he said.
‘It is more of an awareness message for us. It is an industrial crop but it is also a licensed substance.
‘It contains such a minute amount of THC [the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis], so anyone trying to smoke it would probably die of smoke inhalation before they started feeling anything.’
Blair Jones, the business’ chief operating officer, added that it had not been easy for him and his four-man team to get a licence to grow hemp and he hoped that Islanders would not jeopardise the future of their venture.
‘I think people like the the look of it. It does look lovely but it also does look quite similar to the stuff that people grow for recreational use,’ he said
‘It comes down to a lack of knowledge and a bit of ignorance and we need to educate people as to what hemp is.
‘We have worked so long and hard to get to where we are and it would be such a shame if we had to stop now because of a few people messing it up for us.’
The States police have confirmed they are investigating the incident.
