“Republicans, Democrats and independents alike understand that regulation is better than prohibition, and that good science takes time.”
By Mike Simpson, Lovewell Farms via Rhode Island Current
At a moment when Americans across the political spectrum say they want evidence-based policy, Congress is on the verge of repeating a familiar mistake: banning first and studying later.
Bipartisan legislation recently introduced in both the U.S. House and Senate would delay the impending federal ban on hemp-derived products. This is not to legalize anything new, but instead to give regulators, researchers and farmers time to do what Congress says it wants to do: Gather data, set clear rules and regulate responsibly.
I write this as a hemp farmer and small-business owner myself. Having started Lovewell Farms in 2018, I know firsthand the implications a ban on hemp-derived products would have on my farm, Rhode Island’s only USDA-certified organic hemp farm. Here is what legislators may not fully understand: Hemp is not something that can be turned on and off with a vote. Farmers need to know in the next 100 days if the plant they will harvest in October will be legal in November.
Seeds are planted in April. Fields are cultivated all summer. Crops are harvested
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