Hemp industry sees small victory in Congress

rand paul hemp ban

The past few weeks have been rough for the hemp industry. As damning bills were proposed to governments around the country, it looked as though the current definition of legal hemp may change, effectively killing the plant’s business as we know it. In a positive turn of events for advocates, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) successfully blocked a spending bill that, if passed, would have included a blanket ban on THC.

RELATED: Polls show Texans are divided on hemp – what’s the truth?

Earlier this month, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) joined forces with Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) to advance legislation to close the hemp “loophole” opened by the 2018 Farm Bill that’s allowed intoxicating weed to be unregulated in some markets. If passed, the bill would have banned all products containing THC, regardless of amount. Given the difficulty of completely separating the cannabinoids found in cannabis, CBD products would most likely be banned as well, despite Harris’s claims that that was not the intention.

Sen. Rand Paul, a dedicated weed advocate, was an outspoken opponent of this bill, telling Marijuana Moment that it would “completely destroy the American hemp industry.” 

He also told POLITICO, “We have hemp farmers in my state, and this language will destroy them.”

Hemp ban removed

In the end, Paul won the battle—after standing firm on his position and threatening to hold up the appropriations bill, the hemp-banning section was removed. According to Sen. John Hoeven (R-North Dakota), the committee “could never get agreement between the two,” referring to the Kentucky Senators.

Despite this progress, the hemp ban provisions are still included in the House version of the appropriations bill—this means that, despite Paul’s recent triumph, the restrictive language may still find its way to Trump’s desk in a few months.

Paul has received pushback for his open support of hemp, including from prohibitionist organizations like Smart Approaches to Marijuana. According to SAM, “Senator Paul’s carve out would essentially mean legalizing marijuana federally,” which “absolutely cannot happen.” On the other hand, recent weed efforts have seen strong bipartisan support, like current legalization efforts in Pennsylvania.

RELATED: Hemp industry may find reprieve from federal ban

With Sen. Paul taking the steps he has, the hemp industry may have a bit more reason to hope. Still, though, debates continue across the country and Trump’s cabinet has seen its fair share of anti-weed sentiment. The hemp debate will most likely never be black and white, but victories like these are all advocates can hope for in these times.

is a student at Stanford University studying English and an intern at GreenState. She is originally from New York, NY.


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