Trumped-up hemp prosecution was miscarriage of justice

It wasn’t exactly a secret that Josh Egle wanted to grow hemp in Wyoming.

He and his mother Debra Palm-Egle stood next to Gov. Mark Gordon in March 2019 for the signing of a bill legalizing hemp production in the state. During the previous three years, mother and son both lobbied for the legislation and promoted the industry as a way for struggling Wyoming farmers to grow a potentially lucrative new crop.

In November, Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation agents swarmed their farm near Albin, where Egle was curing a small test crop of hemp. Five months later, the mother, son and two worke...