House Greenlights Hemp Research

"It's our goal that the research this amendment enables would further broadcast the economic benefits of the sustainable and job-creating crop. I look forward to working on this issue,” Massie announced in a recent press release.

The new law, if it survives negotiations, would allow colleges and universities to grow hemp for research without a manufacturer’s permit from the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), but it would apply only in the ten states where hemp has been legally differentiated from marijuana. Nudging the DEA out of the way would be a huge step for hemp science: Fees, FBI background checks, extensive paperwork and a 24-hour security mandate create enough red tape to stymie agronomic and industrial research.

Pass through the Capitol’s underground tunnel way and you can find the Senate facing some 200 pending farm bill amendments awaiting a vote – one of which is the hemp amendment. Backing from influential Senators Rand Paul (R-KY), Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY) keeps hemp advocates optimistic, but special interests and party priorities will soon throw their weight around the Hill as things get political.

Expect fur to fly over the Farm Bill in the coming months: proposed cuts to the food-stamp program and farm subsidies points to suggest red and blue lines will be drawn in the sand. Duck and cover.

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+ H.R. 525 seeks to distinguish hemp from marijuana by amending the Controlled Substances Act. Contact your local district rep via Vote Hemp.