Support The Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2009

Texas Republican Ron Paul, along with ten co-sponsors, are once again seeking to allow for the commercial farming of industrial hemp.

House Bill 1866, The Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2009, would exclude low potency varieties of marijuana from federal prohibition. If approved, this measure will grant state legislatures the authority to license and regulate the commercial production of hemp as an industrial and agricultural commodity.

Since 1999 numerous states — including North Dakota, Montana, and Vermont — have enacted state regulations to allow for the cultivation of hemp under state law. However, none of these laws can be implemented without federal approval. Passage of HR 1866 would remove existing federal barriers and allow states that wish to regulate commercial hemp production the authority to do so.

Upon introducing the bill in Congress, Rep. Paul said:

“It is unfortunate that the federal government has stood in the way of American farmers, including many who are struggling to make ends meet, from competing in the global industrial hemp market. Indeed, the founders of our nation, some of whom grew hemp, would surely find that federal restrictions on farmers growing a safe and profitable crop on their own land are inconsistent with the constitutional guarantee of a limited, restrained federal government. Therefore, I urge my colleagues to stand up for American farmers and cosponsor the Industrial Hemp Farming Act.”

According to a 2005 Congressional Resource Service report, the United States is the only developed nation that fails to cultivate industrial hemp as an economic crop. As a result, U.S. companies that specialize in hempen goods — such as Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, Patagonia, Nature’s Path, and Nutiva — have no choice but to import hemp material. These added production costs are then passed on to the consumer who must pay artificially high retail prices for hempen goods.

Previous versions of The Industrial Hemp Farming Act were introduced in both the 108th and 109th Congress, but failed to receive a public hearing or a committee vote. Please write your members of Congress today and tell them to end the federal prohibition of industrial hemp production. For your convenience, a prewritten letter is available below and online at our Activist’s Alerts page

For more information about industrial hemp, please visit: http://www.votehemp.org.

Thank you for assisting NORML’s federal law reform efforts.

LETTER: Support The Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2009

I am writing today to urge you to support House Bill 1866, The Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2009, which would grant states the authority to license and regulate the commercial production of hemp as an industrial and agricultural commodity.

Hemp is a distinct variety of the plant species cannabis sativa that contains only minute (less than 1%) amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. Passage of HR 1866 will grant farmers access to a viable, alternative economic crop without altering or interfering with existing state laws discouraging the recreational use of cannabis.

According to the U.S. Congressional Resource Service, the United States is the only developed nation that fails to cultivate industrial hemp as an economic crop. As a result, U.S. companies that specialize in hempen goods — such as Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, Patagonia, Nature’s Path, and Nutiva — have no choice but to import hemp material from foreign sources, such as Canada, Europe, and China. These added production costs are then passed on to the consumer who must pay artificially high retail prices for hempen goods.

Passage of HR 1866 is a common-sense bill that will help to stimulate the economy, create jobs, and enable U.S. farmers to grow a low maintenance alternative crop.

Once again, I urge you to support House Bill 1866, The Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2009.