The U.S. Senate passed a continuing resolution Monday evening to end the federal government shutdown, but not before a clash of Kentucky’s two Republican senators over a provision that critics say will “eradicate” the hemp industry.
The continuing resolution included a late provision from Sen. Mitch McConnell that drew the ire of Sen. Rand Paul, his Kentucky GOP colleague, as well as hemp farmers and businesses back home.
Paul and the Kentucky Hemp Association say McConnell’s language banning the sale of hemp-derived products that include more than .4 milligrams of THC per container will destroy the entire hemp and CBD industry — in a blow to farmers, businesses and consumers.
As he had attempted to do with another spending bill earlier this year, McConnell added the language to the continuing resolution that sprung into motion this weekend to end the government shutdown, which has lasted for more than a month.
McConnell says his provision targets “intoxicating THC products” that were made legal in the 2018 Farm Bill that launched the hemp industry, closing what’s often been referred to as its “loophole.” He says that would crack down on synthetic products with intoxicating amounts of THC — the psychoactive component in cannabis plants — while preserving non-intoxicating CBD and industrial hemp products.
Paul and many in the hemp industry have sounded the alarm about McConnell’s efforts since this summer and warned that it would actually devastate the entire hemp industry, as CBD products contain small amounts of THC and would be swept up in a national ban.
Read the rest at Louisville Public Media.
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