We want to keep you informed as the 2018 Farm Bill continues making its way through Congress. Last month the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives each passed their respective versions of the 2018 Farm Bill, with the Senate version including language for the federal legalization of industrial hemp.
As of August 2, the Farm Bill now moves into a committee conference, with a selected group of representatives (conferees) from the Senate and House tasked with negotiating and agreeing upon a collective Farm Bill—with the hope to have a finalized version on the president’s desk prior to the current Farm Bill expiring at the end of September.
The Senate’s version of the Farm Bill contains the entirety of Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell’s Hemp Farming Act of 2018. Measures of the Hemp Farming Act of 2018 include:
• Legalize hemp as an agricultural commodity by removing it from the federal list of controlled substances
• Give states the opportunity to become the primary regulators of hemp production
• Allow hemp researchers to apply for competitive federal grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture
There are a few (non-hemp related) points or issues in the separate Farm Bill versions that may be difficult to iron out, but with bi-partisan support there is strong optimism that the final version will include the legalization of industrial hemp.
Jonathan Miller, general counsel for the U.S. Hemp Roundtable said in reference to the issue of industrial hemp legalization, “It is one of those very rare issues that sees bipartisan support, where Democrats and Republicans are working together to make it happen.”
An 80-year ban on industrial hemp is close to being lifted. This would be an incredible win for everyone across the country who values the benefits of hemp and hemp products. With the Farm Bill committee set to begin negotiations throughout the month of August we’re asking for your help to urge the Farm Bill conference committee members to include the legalization of industrial hemp in the Farm Bill.
To email the 2018 Farm Bill conference committee please visit
https://actnow.io/C5FO4Sy
