Hemp Amendment Introduced to Farm Bill - Call Senators Now

[tsai3904]

Senator Ron Wyden has introduced a hemp amendment to the farm bill. It is identical to his bill, S. 359, which would exclude industrial hemp from the definition of marijuana, allowing states to legalize hemp.

The technical name is Senate Amendment 952 to S. 954 or Senator Wyden's hemp amendment to the farm bill.

Find your Senators' contact information here:

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm


These are talking points suggested by Vote Hemp:


1) Introduce yourself, mention that you are a constituent and that you vote.

2) I'm calling to ask the Senator to cosponsor & vote for Senator Wyden's Industrial Hemp Amendment to the Farm Bill, which was introduced on May 20th.

3) The language is the same as S. 359, the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2013.

4) See the March 21, 2013 CRS report "Hemp as an Agricultural Commodity," order code RL 32725, for more information on the issue

5) Will the Senator cosponsor & vote for S.AMDT.952?

6) Ask for a reply letter or email, give them your name and address, and thank them for their time.


If you can't make a call, here's an email you can send written by Vote Hemp:


I am writing to ask that you cosponsor & vote for S.AMDT.952, Senator Wyden's Industrial Hemp Amendment to the Farm Bill, which was introduced on May 20th. The language is the same as S. 359, the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2013, which has bipartisan support. The legislation allows American farmers to once again grow hemp to the extent that it is allowed under state laws. The text of S. 359 is available from THOMAS:

http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.uscongress/legislation.113s359

If you or your staff would like to learn more about this agricultural issue, please read the latest version of the Congressional Research Service (CRS) report "Hemp as an Agricultural Commodity" is dated March 21, 2013 and has the order code RL32725. The report can be ordered from the CRS or it can be downloaded from the National Agricultural Law Center at:

http://nationalaglawcenter.org/assets/crs/RL32725.pdf

To date, thirty-one states have introduced pro-hemp legislation and nineteen have passed pro-hemp legislation; nine states (Colorado, Kentucky, Maine, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and West Virginia) have defined industrial hemp as distinct and removed barriers to its production. Passage of the Industrial Hemp Amendment to the Farm Bill would finally allow these states to choose whether or not to let farmers grow industrial hemp.

I would specifically like to know: Will you cosponsor & vote for S.AMDT.952, Senator Wyden's Industrial Hemp Amendment to the Farm Bill?

I look forward to your reply.

[Brett85]

This just seems so non controversial to me when this bill doesn't even legalize industrial hemp, but simply allows the states to legalize it if they want to. It's hard to believe that even a single member of Congress could be opposed to this bill. If you conducted a poll over this issue you would probably find that 90% of the American people support allowing the states to legalize hemp. The 10% who are opposed would probably just confuse hemp with marijuana.

[jct74]

here's an article from HuffPo. I will be calling tomorrow!


Ron Wyden Introduces Hemp Legalization Amendment To Farm Bill

Ariel Edwards-Levy
05/21/2013 6:56 pm EDT

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) introduced an amendment to the farm bill Monday that would allow farmers to grow industrial hemp, an aide told HuffPost.

The "Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2013" would exclude industrial hemp, which is not a drug, from classification as "marihuana," removing it from the federal laws against growing pot, and allowing for regulation by the states.

Wyden told HuffPost he planned to talk to Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), who is floor-managing the farm bill, about the provision. "For me, what's important is that people see, particularly in our state, there's someone buying it at Costco in Oregon," Wyden said in a brief interview in the Capitol. "I adopted what I think is a modest position, which is if you can buy it at a store in Oregon, our farmers ought to be able to make some money growing it."

The amendment was cosponsored by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). Its introduction follows a failed effort by the two Republican senators to insert a similar provision into the base of the bill. The attempt was blocked by Democrats, amid a flurry of palace intrigue, who insisted McConnell press forward with a vote. Inserting it into the bill would have made it more likely for the provision to become law. The floor approach will require 60 votes.

...

read more:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/21/ron-wyden-hemp-legalization_n_3314755.html

[Warlord]

This might work and i dont see 60 votes being a problem with Mitch as co-sponsor unless Leahy really opposes it.

[WhistlinDave]

This just seems so non controversial to me when this bill doesn't even legalize industrial hemp, but simply allows the states to legalize it if they want to. It's hard to believe that even a single member of Congress could be opposed to this bill. If you conducted a poll over this issue you would probably find that 90% of the American people support allowing the states to legalize hemp. The 10% who are opposed would probably just confuse hemp with marijuana.

I've gotten responses before from both Feinstein and Boxer saying they do not support allowing hemp to be grown because "it looks just like marijuana, and allowing hemp to be grown domestically will inevitably lead to confusion and difficulty for law enforcement efforts in the identification and eradication of the illegal growing of marijuana, a dangerous illegal drug." That's probably not word for word, but pretty close.

I just e-mailed them both anyway and will call tomorrow...

[jct74]

I've gotten responses before from both Feinstein and Boxer saying they do not support allowing hemp to be grown because "it looks just like marijuana, and allowing hemp to be grown domestically will inevitably lead to confusion and difficulty for law enforcement efforts in the identification and eradication of the illegal growing of marijuana, a dangerous illegal drug." That's probably not word for word, but pretty close.

I just e-mailed them both anyway and will call tomorrow...

mention that even Mitch McConnell (and possibly John Boehner (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?413667-John-Boehner-interested-in-legalizing-hemp-after-meeting-WH-officials-receptive-as-well)) is supporting this so no one is going to accuse them of being "soft on drugs" for voting for something that even the Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell supports, there should be no excuse politically for them to be afraid of supporting this.

it really should be an embarrassment to all Democrats not supporting this that a crusty old establishment Republican like Mitch McConnell is standing more for freedom on this issue than they are.

[Warlord]

The article says that contacts from VT have worked on Leahy so he might back off.

If that's true then i can see this getting 60 votes considering Mitch and Wyden are on it. That means we only need less than half the Democrat conference depending on the number of GOP votes.

[Brett85]

I've gotten responses before from both Feinstein and Boxer saying they do not support allowing hemp to be grown because "it looks just like marijuana, and allowing hemp to be grown domestically will inevitably lead to confusion and difficulty for law enforcement efforts in the identification and eradication of the illegal growing of marijuana, a dangerous illegal drug." That's probably not word for word, but pretty close.

I just e-mailed them both anyway and will call tomorrow...

Yep, according to them it should be legal to kill babies two minutes before they're born, but people can't smoke a joint of marijuana or grow hemp.

[jct74]

let's get some calls in!

[Thor]

And that same Farm Bill might repeal the Monsanto Protection Act (good), but also has the King amendment which helps Monsanto and screws the consumer.

So, allow states to legalize hemp (which they should already have the right to, in theory), repeal the Monsanto Protection Act, but disallow states to require manufacturers to label GMO food as GMO.

Good:

The highly controversial provision known as the “Monsanto Protection Act” may be repealed if U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley has his way.

The Oregon Democrat announced Monday via an emailed statement that he is introducing an amendment to the 2013 Farm Bill that would repeal the “Monsanto Protection Act,” an amendment to the continuous resolution passed by Congress and signed by President Barack Obama in March to avoid a shutdown of the federal government.

“The Monsanto Protection Act is an outrageous example of a special interest loophole,” Merkley said in a Monday statement. “This provision nullifies the actions of a court that is enforcing the law to protect farmers, the environment and public health. That is unacceptable.”

The provision was innocuously referred to as the Farmer Assurance Provision, but food safety advocates and legal experts say that it would unduly provide Monsanto and other companies that produce genetically-modified crops and seeds with protection from certain legal challenges, stripping regulators of a crucial means of keeping GMO companies in check.


Bad:

An amendment inserted into the 2013 Farm Bill passed by the House of Representatives’ Agriculture Committee Wednesday would revoke the ability of individual states’ lawmakers to pass GMO-labeling laws, food advocates warn.

The amendment, introduced by Rep. Steve King, an Iowa Republican, is the newest salvo in an ongoing battle between food advocates and companies like Monsanto that create and sell genetically modified and genetically engineered seeds, which grow into GMO crops and find their way into an estimated 70 percent of processed foods in American grocery stores.

The figurative jury is still out on whether or not genetically modified and genetically engineered foods have negative health impacts on humans, but supporters of GMO-labeling point to studies showing a range of potential risks, from kidney and liver damage to reproductive system issues.

But even if GMO foods are proven to be entirely healthy for human consumption, food advocates contend that the public has a right to know what is on their plates, and that in order for that to be possible, foods containing crops that were genetically engineered need to be labeled, just as the Food and Drug Administration requires that labels tell consumers how much caffeine is contained in a given food or beverage.

But King’s amendment, dubbed the Protect Interstate Commerce Act (PICA), may put an end to efforts by state lawmakers in states like Vermont and Connecticut to enact state-level GMO-labeling laws.



I agree, we need WAY more hemp for paper, cloth, fuel, etc, etc. But this bill is a mixed bag....

[Thor]

And Colorado has already moved ahead with hemp regardless of if this is included or passed in the Farm Bill. Other states should too...

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_23232417/first-major-hemp-crop-60-years-is-planted

http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site36/2013/0513/20130513__Hemp_Seed~p1.jpg


First major hemp crop in 60 years is planted in southeast Colorado

Posted: 05/13/2013 11:42:54 AM MDT
Updated: 05/14/2013 08:14:44 AM MDT

By Steve Raabe


Springfield farmer Ryan Loflin on Monday planted the nation's first industrial hemp crop in almost 60 years.

Loflin's plans to grow hemp already have been chronicled, and Monday's planting attracted the attention of more media in southeastern Colorado and a documentary film crew.

Hemp is genetically related to marijuana but contains little or no THC, the psychoactive substance in marijuana. Hemp has dozens of uses in food, cosmetics, clothing and industrial materials.

Its cultivation in small test plots became legal last year under a Colorado law. The passage of Amendment 64 in November allowed commercial growing, even though hemp, like marijuana, is illegal under federal law.

Loflin is planting 60 acres on acreage previously used to grow alfalfa. He and business partner Chris Thompson also are installing a seed press to produce hemp oil.

Collaborators in the documentary include the Colorado-based advocacy group Hemp Cleans and hemp-products company Hemp Inc.

"This is monumental for our industry," said Bruce Perlowin, chief executive of Hemp Inc. "It will unlock a clean industrial revolution that will be good for the economy, good for jobs and good for the environment."

[jct74]

Patrick Leahy Signals Support For Hemp Legalization

by Ariel Edwards-Levy
05/22/2013 11:56 am EDT

WASHINGTON -- Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Tuesday signaled to advocates that he would support an amendment to the farm bill that will legalize industrial hemp production, according to Tom Murphy of Vote Hemp. Leahy's office, he said, told the group Rural Vermont that he'd be backing the effort, and a Leahy aide confirmed his support to HuffPost.

Leahy's backing is a major boost, because his committee oversees the Drug Enforcement Administration, which has jurisdiction over hemp, despite the fact that it's not a drug. His support is also a critical momentum swing because he had previously objected to inserting the provision into the farm bill based on jurisdictional concerns. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), a hemp backer, requested late last Monday night, the day before the farm bill came up for consideration, that Leahy grant a waiver of his jurisdiction, a request he declined. It was tough timing for McConnell: Leahy was in the midst of marking-up the historic immigration reform bill working its way through his panel.

In January, however, Leahy sent a strongly worded letter to the DEA asking why it had not been granting permits in recent years to hemp producers, and citing increased state support for domestically grown hemp. The DEA, in its reply, pointedly refused to refer to the plant as hemp, preferring cannabis or marijuana instead.

...


read more:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/22/patrick-leahy-hemp_n_3319876.html

[jct74]

Vote Hemp is posting a lot of updates about this on their facebook page, they say it is especially crucial for Nevada residents to call Harry Reid's office and ask him to give Sen. Wyden's hemp amendment to the farm bill a vote.

https://www.facebook.com/votehemp


Nevada Residents: URGENT! Please Call Senator Harry Reid Today and Ask Him to Give Senator Wyden's Hemp Amendment to the Farm Bill a Voice Vote

On May 20th Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon introduced Senate Amendment 952, the Industrial Hemp amendment to the Farm Bill. A Senate vote could come at any time and it's critical that you make this call now. We have received support from many key Senators on this amendment and now we need your support!

If you live in Nevada, please call Senator Reid's Washington, DC office and give him this message:

Call Now - 202-224-3542

* Introduce yourself, mention that you are a constituent and that you vote.

* I'm calling to ask that Senator Reid please give Senator Wyden's hemp amendment to the Farm Bill a voice vote.

* Ask for a reply letter or email, give them your name and address, and thank them for their time.

We ask that you pass this information on to friends and family in Nevada and ask them to make the call as well. Thank you so much for your support!

http://www.votehemp.com/alerts/vote_hemp_alert-20130522.html

[jct74]

bump

[Warlord]

This is good news. Leahy has relented and this will pass easily next week!

[Warlord]

'But King’s amendment, dubbed the Protect Interstate Commerce Act (PICA), may put an end to efforts by state lawmakers in states like Vermont and Connecticut to enact state-level GMO-labeling laws.'

10th amendment trumps anything they pass.

I hope his bill passes so the liberals start getting on board with nullification. This is truly wonderful!

[Brett85]

So is this actually going to get a vote?

[jct74]

So is this actually going to get a vote?

possibly but not until at least June 3.


Michael Bowman's Washington update: it was a fast and furious week. The sole focus was getting the industrial hemp added as amendment to the farm bill. We had hopes 24 hours ago that we would get that vote tomorrow. The Senate ended debate on the farm bill today and will be headed home for the Memorial Day Weekend so there will be no vote tomorrow. We'll be back in force when they return June 3.

There is an identical process happening in the House which will be dealing with their version of the farm bill upon return in June - which will also include an industrial hemp provision. I was very pleased to learn today that my Congressman, Cory Gardner, has signed on as a co-sponsor to the House version. Thank you Cory for your support.

I had the opportunity to be interviewed on the hemp debate from the studios at National Public Radio here in town. It ran this morning on Colorado Public Radio:
Wannabee Hemp Farmers Run into Roadblocks - Colorado Public Radio http://bit.ly/10sahTI

https://www.facebook.com/votehemp/posts/10151621346054920