Hemp News

Mitch McConnell Offers to Loan President Trump His Hemp Pen to Sign Historic Farm Bill Legalizing Industrial Hemp

Published on December 13, 2018

In a speech on the Senate floor on December 12, Mitch McConnell (R-KY) celebrated the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill with provisions for legalizing industrial hemp in the United States – a historic move and a watershed moment for the emerging hemp industry.

“What exactly does this legislation do?” asked McConnell. “The Farm Bill we passed yesterday both legalizes hemp as an agricultural commodity and removes it from the controlled substances list. It gives states the opportunity to be the primary overseers of hemp production. It also allows hemp researchers to apply for competitive federal grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and made hemp eligible for federal crop insurance. Together these features will encourage new opportunities for struggling farmers and their families, new products for use in construction, health care, and manufacturing, and new jobs in a broad range of fields,” said.

“I look forward to the House passing our Farm Bill soon and sending it to President Trump for his signature. I’d be happy to loan him my hemp pen for the occasion,” McConnell added.