On the recordJune 3, 2015
In 2013, the Kentucky General Assembly passed Senate Bill 50, which exempted industrial hemp from the State's Controlled Substances Act but also mandated that Kentucky follow all Federal rules and regulations with respect to industrial hemp. So, last year, I was proud to support an amendment to the 2014 farm bill, sponsored by my fellow Kentuckian, Congressman Thomas Massie, which authorized State departments of agriculture in States where industrial hemp is legal to administer industrial hemp pilot programs for the purposes of research and development. The Kentucky Department of Agriculture Industrial Hemp Pilot Research Program, in collaboration with my constituent, the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, has since facilitated through permitted farmers the cultivation of nearly 2,000 acres of hemp this year alone in Kentucky. Hemp is an important crop that holds tremendous commercial promise in Kentucky. In fact, former Speaker of the House Henry Clay was a large producer of industrial hemp. It can be used for food, horse bedding, animal feed, textiles, oils, lotions, cosmetics, rope, pharmaceuticals, et cetera. Just last week, I met with a very sophisticated partnership of entrepreneurs, tobacco farmers, botanists, and even former law enforcement officials who have put up their own capital to invest in permanent industrial hemp projects, which they believe can spark a very profitable business. This is about jobs.
