Thomas Massie: “I'd like to talk about some of the legal products that you can buy in the United States that are made with hemp. You can…”

“I'd like to talk about some of the legal products that you can buy in the United States that are made with hemp. You can buy paper, clothes, rope, food, hundreds of products. Even car panels are made out of hemp. But the great tragedy is that we cannot grow hemp in Kentucky. We can't grow industrial hemp anywhere in the United States, and so we have to import it. Where do we import it from? It comes from China. It comes from Canada. It comes from Europe. There are many uses for hemp. There are 30 countries on this globe that can grow hemp. In fact, I believe every industrialized country in the world grows hemp. Farmers in Kentucky grew hemp during World War II. Hemp was grown in large quantities in my State of Kentucky. Canvas and rope made from hemp helped with the war effort. So this is not about drugs. This is not about a drugs bill. This is about jobs. And for Kentucky farmers, we need the opportunity. We need the opportunity to compete globally in a global market, and we shouldn't be denied this outlet for another productive crop in Kentucky.”