Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) has proposed an amendment to the Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act of 2012 that has been welcomed by hemp activists. Suitably, the amendment was introduced at the end of the third annual Hemp History Week. Wyden's amendment would legalize the production of industrial hemp at the federal level.
In a press release Wyden stated:
Industrial hemp is used in many healthy and sustainable consumer products. However, the federal prohibition on growing industrial hemp has forced companies to needlessly import raw materials from other countries. My amendment to the Farm Bill will change federal policy to allow U.S. farmers to produce hemp for these safe and legitimate products right here, helping both producers and suppliers to grow and improve Oregon's economy in the process.
Since 1937 American farmers have been effectively banned from growing hemp, a variety of Cannabis sativa that has no psychoactive effect. While illegal to grow domestically hemp can be legally imported to the United States under current law.
ReasonTV recently spoke with Eric Steenstra, president of Vote Hemp, about the uses of hemp, the history of its prohibition, and the fondness George Washington had for the crop.
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