House Bill 1866, the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2009, would exclude low potency varieties of cannabis from the federal Controlled Substances Act. If approved, the measure would grant state legislatures the authority to license and regulate the commercial production of hemp as an industrial and agricultural commodity.

Several states — including North Dakota, Montana, and Vermont — have enacted regulations to allow for the cultivation of hemp under state law. However, none of these laws can be implemented without federal approval. Passage of HR 1866 would remove existing federal barriers and allow states that wish to regulate commercial hemp production the authority to do so.

Upon introducing the bill in Congress, Rep. Paul said: "It is unfortunate that the federal government has stood in the way of American farmers, including many who are struggling to make ends meet, from competing in the global industrial hemp market. Indeed, the founders of our nation, some of whom grew hemp, would surely find that federal restrictions on farmers growing a safe and profitable crop on their own land are inconsistent with the constitutional guarantee of a limited, restrained federal government. ... I urge my colleagues to stand up for American farmers and cosponsor the Industrial Hemp Farming Act."

Previous versions of the Industrial Hemp Farming Act were introduced in both the 108th and 109th Congress, but failed to receive a public hearing or a committee vote.

According to a 2005 Congressional Research Service report, "The United States is the only developed nation in which industrial hemp is not an established crop."

For more information about House Bill 1866, the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2009, please visit: http://capwiz.com/norml2/issues/alert/?alertid=13073826 or go to: http://www.votehemp.org.