Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
McConnell Eyes Farm Bill as Path To Legal Hemp
GV-Wire-1
By gvwire
Published 6 years ago on
June 14, 2018

Share

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wants something to replace the faltering cash crop of tobacco in his home state of Kentucky. It’s clear that he has found it: hemp.
Sen. McConnell wants the federal government to take hemp off its list of Schedule I controlled substances, making it legal for farmers to grow and sell the crop. Hemp comes from the same plant that produces marijuana.
Analysts forecast that if the federal ban is dropped, hemp quickly will become a multibillion-dollar industry.
Photo of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
“We’ve won the argument that this is not about marijuana.” — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
CNBC reports that hemp “contains low levels of THC, the narcotic that gets pot users high. Industrial hemp is used to make everything from apparel, foods and pharmaceuticals to body care products, car dashboards and building materials.”
McConnell efforts cleared a big hurdle Wednesday. The Senate Agriculture Committee passed the 2018 farm bill on a 20-1 vote with provisions backing the legalization of hemp.

McConnell Promises Full Farm Bill Vote

In addition, McConnell pledged that the full Senate will vote on the 2018 farm bill before its July 4 recess. The House continues to work on its version of the bill after failing to pass it in May because of disagreements on immigration reform.

“We’ve won the argument that this is not about marijuana,” McConnell said about hemp.
“I know there are farming communities all over the country who are interested in this. Mine are particularly interested in it, and the reason for that is — as all of you know — our No. 1 cash crop used to be something that’s really not good for you: tobacco. And that has declined significantly, as it should, given the public health concerns.”

Hemp Has Long History in Kentucky

Associated Press reports that Kentucky farmers have been growing hemp legally since 2014 as part of a federal pilot program, but they’ve still had some trouble. In the program’s first year, the Drug Enforcement Administration seized an initial shipment of hemp seeds to Kentucky. The state had to go to court to get them released.
Although the fledgling hemp and marijuana industries grew during the relaxed policies of former President Barack Obama’s administration, Attorney General Jeff Sessions has been less welcoming of the cannabis plant.

McConnell says he has spoken with Sessions about hemp. The senator added that he doesn’t expect the attorney general to embrace it, but “he certainly indicated he is not going to oppose us.”

Ryan Quarles is Kentucky’s agriculture commissioner. Quarles told the AP that his grandfather grew hemp during World War II because “the Navy needed rope.” The crop disappeared after the cannabis plant was banned. Kentucky farmers moved on to tobacco, only to see it falter after 2004 when a federal price support program ended.

Federal Ban Stymies Hemp Industry

More than 30 states, including California, have passed laws making hemp production legal. But the industry has been stymied by the federal ban.

Illustration of the uses for hemp

 

 

DON'T MISS

At the Pandemic’s Start, Americans Began Drinking More. They Still Are.

DON'T MISS

Last GOP Congressman Anchored in Democratic LA County Concedes in Race Against Former NASA Exec

DON'T MISS

Aid Groups Say Israel Misses US Deadline to Boost Humanitarian Aid Entering Gaza

DON'T MISS

Speaker Mike Johnson Says Republicans Are ‘Ready to Deliver’ on Trump’s Agenda

DON'T MISS

Wall Street Slips as the Trump Trade Cools

DON'T MISS

49ers Coach Kyle Shanahan Says Players’ Sideline Spat Has Been ‘Squashed’

DON'T MISS

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott Will Have Season-Ending Surgery on Torn Hamstring

DON'T MISS

Judge Delays Ruling on Whether to Scrap Trump’s Conviction in Hush Money Case

DON'T MISS

Songwriters Hall of Fame Unveils Star-Studded 2025 Nominees, From Eminem to Janet Jackson

DON'T MISS

Rams’ Offensive Woes Resurface in Loss to Dolphins, Snapping Win Streak

UP NEXT

Voters in California City Reject Measure Allowing Noncitizens to Vote in Local Races

UP NEXT

Voters in Oakland Oust Mayor Sheng Thao Just 2 Years Into Her Term

UP NEXT

California Gov. Gavin Newsom Will Spend Part of Week in DC as He Tries to Trump-Proof State Policies

UP NEXT

US Regulators Investigating Whether Engines on 1.4 Million Hondas Might Fail

UP NEXT

When to Catch the Last Supermoon of the Year

UP NEXT

California Farmers Enjoy Pistachio Boom, With Much of It Headed to China

UP NEXT

Mattel Says It ‘Deeply’ Regrets Misprint on ‘Wicked’ Dolls Packaging That Links to Porn Site

UP NEXT

Do Trump and Newsom Agree On Anything? Yes, Homeless Encampments

UP NEXT

CA Legislature Sets Record for Women in Office and Could See Historic Gender Parity

UP NEXT

Trump to Target Iran’s Oil Trade in Renewed ‘Maximum Pressure’ Campaign

Speaker Mike Johnson Says Republicans Are ‘Ready to Deliver’ on Trump’s Agenda

51 mins ago

Wall Street Slips as the Trump Trade Cools

58 mins ago

49ers Coach Kyle Shanahan Says Players’ Sideline Spat Has Been ‘Squashed’

1 hour ago

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott Will Have Season-Ending Surgery on Torn Hamstring

1 hour ago

Judge Delays Ruling on Whether to Scrap Trump’s Conviction in Hush Money Case

1 hour ago

Songwriters Hall of Fame Unveils Star-Studded 2025 Nominees, From Eminem to Janet Jackson

2 hours ago

Rams’ Offensive Woes Resurface in Loss to Dolphins, Snapping Win Streak

2 hours ago

Trump’s Tariffs Could Deal a Blow to Mexico’s Car Factories

2 hours ago

Trump Plans Series of Executive Orders for Day 1, Susie Wiles Tells Donors

2 hours ago

California Counts Methodically as House Control Hangs in the Balance

2 hours ago

At the Pandemic’s Start, Americans Began Drinking More. They Still Are.

Americans started drinking more as the COVID-19 pandemic got underway. They were stressed, isolated, uncertain — the world as they had known...

30 mins ago

30 mins ago

At the Pandemic’s Start, Americans Began Drinking More. They Still Are.

33 mins ago

Last GOP Congressman Anchored in Democratic LA County Concedes in Race Against Former NASA Exec

46 mins ago

Aid Groups Say Israel Misses US Deadline to Boost Humanitarian Aid Entering Gaza

51 mins ago

Speaker Mike Johnson Says Republicans Are ‘Ready to Deliver’ on Trump’s Agenda

58 mins ago

Wall Street Slips as the Trump Trade Cools

1 hour ago

49ers Coach Kyle Shanahan Says Players’ Sideline Spat Has Been ‘Squashed’

1 hour ago

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott Will Have Season-Ending Surgery on Torn Hamstring

1 hour ago

Judge Delays Ruling on Whether to Scrap Trump’s Conviction in Hush Money Case

Search

Send this to a friend