A GOP congressman and the agriculture commissioner of Kentucky are imploring a key Republican senator who helped lead the push to initially federally legalize hemp before supporting the recriminalization of THC products to back a proposed two-year delay on the implementation of a policy that industry stakeholders say would upend the market.
As prohibitionists mount a pressure campaign in support of the forthcoming recriminalization of most hemp-derived cannabinoid products, Rep. James Comer (R-KY) and Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell are asking Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to join them in their fight to give hemp businesses more time to navigate the critical policy change that’s currently set to take effect in November.
“Kentucky has long been a national leader in hemp research, production, and innovation—leadership made possible in large part by your historic efforts to legalize industrial hemp at the federal level,” Comer—who also previously served as Kentucky’s agriculture commissioner—and Shell said in a letter sent to McConnell on Thursday. “Because of that leadership, Kentucky farmers invested responsibly in this emerging crop, built infrastructure, created jobs, and contributed to rural economic development across the Commonwealth.”
But that progress is being jeopardized under appropriations legislation President Donald Trump signed into law last
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