The US Senate passed legislation Thursday 6/28/18 by a vote of 86 – 11 that would legalize hemp as an agricultural commodity.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell…
“I have heard from many Kentucky farmers who agree it’s time to remove the federal hurdles and give our state the opportunity to seize its full potential and once again become the national leader for hemp production. That is why I strongly advocated for this measure to be included in the Farm Bill,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement after the bill passed.
McConnell, as well as Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), introduced their hemp legislation as a stand-alone bill in April, before getting it included in the Senate’s farm bill.
McConnell also stated that “for far too long, the federal government has prevented most farmers from growing hemp.”
Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA), one of Congress’s most ardent opponents of marijuana law reform, threatened to pursue serious changes to the bill’s hemp provisions on the floor. He wanted to remove the legalization of derivatives of the cannabis plant, such as cannabidiol (CBD), which is used by many people for medical purposes. But Grassley never ended up filing a floor amendment.
Hemp legalization has broad bipartisan support
The bill would legalize hemp and remove it from the federal list of controlled substances. This would allow it to be sold as an agricultural commodity.
