Political Quotes

“Let's review what we have. What we have is a situation where last year it wasn't the DEA that held up the seeds; it was getting an import license. And then subsequent to that, obviously the DEA had to test those seeds. The U.S. Congress has set out a very clear plan for how we are going to increase the use of industrial hemp in this country, and it involves, first, pilot programs in States where it is legal, like Kentucky, like Oregon, but subject to the oversight under the Controlled Substances Act of the DEA. The DEA has to be certain, since all seeds are now imported. Eventually, under this plan, they won't be. Obviously, at some point we will progress to a point where our industrial hemp seeds are grown here in the United States, but they are not now. Importing seeds and testing them is not a quick process, but it is a process that has to be done. The fact of the matter is hemp and marijuana are both cannabis. They are related. You can't tell the seeds apart. You have to test these seeds. Our drug problem is serious. I am glad I don't have to do the job the DEA does dealing with controlling drugs that destroy lives in this country. Sure, is it a process that sometimes might take time? Yes. But that time is well worth taking. Down the road, we are going to get to the proper industrial hemp production. It has got to be done under controlled processes. The DEA has these in place. The Department of Agriculture has these protocols in place.…”