Hemp is one of the most versatile plants on the planet. Hemp’s benefits and uses is something that has gone virtually untapped for so long in America, that it has always been one of my dreams to see hemp fully legalized and see how opponents react when they find out they have been wrong for so long. Below is an e-mail that I received from Dan Riffle, who is an amazing activist:
Partisan bickering kept the U.S. Senate from voting on an amendment to its version of the farm bill that would have made industrial hemp legal. While that was unfortunate, it appears as if supporters of sensible hemp policies will now have a real shot at reform in the House of Representatives.
Last night, the House Rules Committee approved an amendment that would allow colleges and universities to grow and cultivate industrial hemp for academic and agricultural research purposes in states where hemp is already legal under state law.
Call your representative in Congress now to ask for a “yes” vote on this amendment!
Because the DEA senselessly considers hemp to be on par with marijuana, even though it has virtually no THC, we import millions of dollars in hemp products from China and Canada instead of creating those jobs and products here at home. This amendment would be significant progress toward more rational hemp policies.
The amendment was just approved last night, so we don’t yet know when it will be voted on by the full House, but it could be as early as today. There’s no time for emails; please call your representative today, and tell him or her to support this modest, sensible step forward on hemp. When you’re done, please ask your friends to do the same.
– Dan Riffle, Marijuana Policy Project
