opinion

Massie: U.S. should legalize industrial hemp

U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican, represents Kentucky's 4th District.

Of all the freedom-crushing laws and regulations issued from Washington, one of the most ridiculous is the decades-long federal ban on industrial hemp. For far too long, farmers and manufacturers in Kentucky and across the United States have been blocked from growing hemp or producing products from this versatile and useful plant. My colleagues and I in both the House and Senate hope to end this illogical ban. In January of this year, I reintroduced H.R. 525, the "Industrial Hemp Farming Act," which would stop the federal government's hemp blockade.

First, however, it is important to remember that the fight for hemp freedom is entirely unrelated to the issue of marijuana legalization. The scare tactics and false rhetoric used by those who want to keep industrial hemp out of Kentucky are not based on facts. As the Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports, hemp and marijuana plants are distinct from one another. Although they both descend from the same species of plant, their chemical makeup is different, as is their physical appearance. Importantly, hemp has too low a THC (delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, marijuana's primary psychoactive chemical) content to have any intoxicating effect.

Unfortunately, false information about hemp causes more than just confusion – it results in the export of valuable U.S. jobs to foreign countries. According to CRS, "Some estimate that the global market for hemp consists of more than 25,000 products in nine submarkets: agriculture; textiles; recycling; automotive; furniture; food/nutrition/beverages; paper; construction materials; and personal care." And while the United States does not produce hemp, other industrialized nations do. Specifically, China is one of the largest producers and exporters of hemp products in the world, and we import hemp from China.

Likewise, Canada also supplies hemp to the United States. Canadian hemp production soared following its legalization in the 1990s after a 60-year prohibition. There are now an estimated 100 Canadian hemp farms. Why not bring this industry to Kentucky?

Hemp was grown for hundreds of years throughout the United States, and particularly in Kentucky. Even the sails on the ship that transported Christopher Columbus to the New World were made of hemp. From colonial days through the mid-1800s, Kentucky was the primary hemp producer in the United States. During World War II, hemp production assisted with the war effort.

I achieved a major legislative victory during the 113th Congress when an amendment I co-sponsored to the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013 passed the House of Representatives. This amendment allows colleges, universities and state departments of agriculture to grow and cultivate industrial hemp for academic and agricultural research purposes in states where it is already legal. My amendment was included in the final version of the bill, which passed both the House and Senate and was signed into law by the president. Since then, numerous pilot projects have successfully launched throughout Kentucky.

While this was a tremendous victory, my goal is to change the law even further so that hemp can be grown and used for more than simply academic and research purposes. That is why I reintroduced the Industrial Hemp Farming Act (H.R. 525) in January of this year. My bill changes the federal definition of marijuana to exclude industrial hemp, and would therefore prevent federal government interference with a state that chooses to produce hemp.

H.R. 525 has 54 co-sponsors, including Kentucky Reps. Andy Barr, Ed Whitfield and John Yarmuth. Sen. Ron Wyden introduced a Senate companion bill, co-sponsored by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Sen. Rand Paul. To date, 21 states (including Kentucky) have legalized hemp.

I am hopeful that as more citizens in Kentucky and throughout the nation learn about the economic benefits of hemp, its job-creating potential, and its place in our nation's history, H.R. 525 will pass both the House and Senate and become law.