Senate Leader: Legalize Hemp

OMAHA (DTN) -- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wants to remove hemp as a controlled substance and allow farmers nationally to grow it as a commodity crop.

McConnell, R-Ky., announced Monday in Frankfort, Kentucky, with the state's agriculture commissioner that he would introduce legislation in the Senate soon to help boost Kentucky's growing hemp industry. The Hemp Farming Act of 2018 will be introduced with a bipartisan set of senators once Congress returns from its Easter break.

"Hemp has played a foundational role in Kentucky's agricultural heritage, and I believe that it can be an important part of our future," Sen. McConnell said

At least 34 states allow some type of hemp cultivation, mostly through research or pilot programs, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Such laws were enacted in 15 states in 2017 alone. The movement to legalize hemp was sparked by action McConnell championed in the 2014 farm bill, which authorized universities or states to begin allowing cultivation of industrial hemp for limited purposes.

McConnell's bill would likely be a marker bill to add to the next farm bill.

Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., did not comment on the merits of McConnell's bill, but Roberts, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, did state he wants to hear McConnell's priorities. The Senate majority leader is a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, but seldom attends hearings.

"As Congress considers the new Farm Bill, I look forward to working with my colleague Senate Majority Leader McConnell and understanding his priorities," Roberts said.

While often associated with its more potent cousin, marijuana, hemp generally has less than 0.3% of tetrahydrocannabinol -- THC, the compound that provides the high. Marijuana generally has 15% or higher THC.

Kentucky Rep. James Comer, a former agriculture commissioner in the state, also has introduced similar legislation in the House. In an interview with DTN earlier this year, Comer said the bill has a lot of potential for spurring industry and provide farmers with some crop diversity.

Kentucky and Colorado are a pair of states that have taken off in production so far. Kentucky is expected to have 12,000 acres of hemp grown this year and 57 processors. Colorado had almost 10,000 acres of hemp grown last year, as well as more than 2 million square feet of greenhouse space.

Hemp is generally known for its oil potential -- cannabidiol, or CBD -- which has exploded in use in recent years.

But whether the THC content is low or not, hemp is still cannabis.

"That's where it's still a gray area," said Morris Beegle, co-founder of the Northern Colorado Hemp Expo, which is taking place in early April. "The DEA has maintained the stance that the oil is a Schedule I (drug) because it comes from the flower and that's not an approved part of the plant, and therefore it's not industrial hemp."

Schedule I drugs are considered the most dangerous by the DEA and are deemed to have no current medical use, per analysis by the DEA and FDA. These substances also carry a high potential for abuse and addiction.

Beegle said breeding has removed much of the THC content of hemp while increasing the plant's cannabidiol content. The oil is considered a medical pain reliever for several ailments.

"That right now is really what is driving the market here in Colorado and really around the country in places such as Oregon and Kentucky, the main producers of hemp, currently," Beegle said.

Beegle said legislation would open up the industry for investment to start expanding into other areas of processing and industrial use. "The food and fiber side is going to come and catch up, but the problem has been the technology for processing with extraction is already out there, so the CBD processing has already developed," he said.

And then there is the potential production for farmers looking for an alternative crop to generate some profitability. Associated Press quoted Kentucky farmer Brian Furnish who grows about 300 acres of hemp. Furnish told reporters in Kentucky he and his family were generating about $2,000 an acre in profits from hemp grown for dietary supplements.

"All we've got to do is the government get out of the way and let us grow," Furnish told reporters.

Hemp also was once the dominate fiber used for products such as ropes. In a news release, McConnell stated his legislation would help Kentucky "enhance its position as the leading state on hemp production." Further, the legislation would eliminate federal barriers and ensure researchers can apply for competitive grants.

Editor's Note: Associated Press contributed to this report.

Chris Clayton can be reached at Chris.Clayton@dtn.com

Follow him on Twitter @ChrisClaytonDTN

(AG)