Page 32 - ARUBA TODAY

A32 FEATURE
Friday 30 November 2018

McConnell's year-end wish: Getting Congress to legalize hemp

By BRUCE SCHREINER Hemp's comeback started
Associated Press with the 2014 federal farm
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — bill. McConnell helped
Pressed for time and push for a provision allow-
pushed to move quickly on ing states to pursue hemp
a border wall and criminal research and develop-
justice reform, the Senate's ment. That allowed the
top leader has his own prior- crop to be grown on an ex-
ity in Congress' lame-duck perimental basis.
session: passing a farm bill "They (hemp proponents)
that includes a full pardon did a nice job of figuring
for hemp, the non-intoxi- out how to explain the mar-
cating cousin of marijuana ketplace for this to make
that's making a comeback this seem like something
in his home state. other than a pie-in-the-sky,
Senate Majority Leader fringe idea," said Scott Jen-
Mitch McConnell has guar- nings, a Kentucky-based
anteed that his proposal to Republican consultant with
make hemp a legal agricul- close ties to McConnell.
tural commodity, removing "And McConnell listened
it from the federal list of and found his way to sup-
controlled substances, will porting them because they
be part of the final farm bill, made a good case."
a crucial measure for rural In helping push hemp into
America and Kentucky, the mainstream, McCon-
where the Republican sen- nell reached out to allay
ator faces re-election in In a Thursday, July 5, 2018 file photo, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, left, inspects a law enforcement concerns
2020. He places it on a par piece of hemp taken from a bale of hemp at a processing plant in Louisville, Ky. about the crop, Jennings
with federal spending bills Associated Press said. The senator talks pub-
as action Congress must gress," said Eric Steenstra, growing hemp without a used for rope but has many licly about the differences
take before the end of the president of the hemp ad- federal permit was banned other uses, including cloth- between hemp and mari-
year. vocacy group Vote Hemp. decades ago because of ing and mulch from the fi- juana.
Keeping that promise Comer, a leading hemp its classification as a con- ber; hemp milk and cook- It's not the first time McCon-
would cap a decadeslong proponent since his days trolled substance related to ing oil from the seeds; and nell has been a key player
journey to overcome the as Kentucky's agriculture marijuana. Hemp and mar- soap and lotions. Other in potentially transform-
stigma associated with the commissioner, likes the pro- ijuana are the same spe- uses include building ma- ing Kentucky agriculture.
crop, which McConnell vision's chances this year. cies, but hemp has a neg- terials, animal bedding and More than a decade ago,
himself did not initially em- "It's going to happen," he ligible amount of THC, the biofuels. Hemp-derived the Republican lawmaker
brace wholeheartedly. But said. psychoactive compound cannabidiol, or CBD oil, as helped win the multibillion-
in recent years, the quint- Hemp is deeply rooted that gives marijuana users a health product has be- dollar tobacco buyout,
essential establishment Re- in Kentucky's past dating a high. come an increasingly large which compensated U.S.
publican has been all in for back to pioneer days. But The crop was historically market. tobacco growers and oth-
the hemp revolution. ers for losing production
McConnell put himself on quotas when the govern-
the conference commit- ment's price-support pro-
tee assigned to negotiate gram ended.
a compromise farm bill. Hemp production has
Work requirements for food spread since its modest be-
stamps, known as the Sup- ginning in 2014, when 33
plemental Nutrition Assis- acres (13 hectares) were
tance Program, have been planted in Kentucky. Ken-
the biggest stumbling block tucky farmers planted 6,700
holding up an agreement. acres (2,710 hectares) of
Kentucky has emerged as hemp in 2018— more than
a leader in developing a twice last year's produc-
hemp industry and as a tion, according to the
place where legalizing the state's agriculture depart-
crop went from a fringe is- ment. More than 70 Ken-
sue to a mainstream cause. tucky processors are turn-
Fellow Kentucky Republi- ing the versatile plant into
can Sen. Rand Paul and Re- products.
publican U.S. Reps. Thomas "Industrial hemp is no longer
Massie and James Comer a novelty in Kentucky but is
are strong supporters, too. emerging as a commod-
But it's McConnell's back- ity with a viable economic
ing that has put the long- success," said current Ken-
banned crop on the verge In this June 6, 2018 file photo, a marijuana plant grows at El Piso Cannabis Club in Montevideo, tucky Agriculture Commis-
of winning a full pardon. Uruguay, the first nation to legalize the pot market covering the entire chain from plants to pur- sioner Ryan Quarles.q
"We are very fortunate to chase.
have Sen. McConnell as Associated Press
our top advocate in Con-