Kentucky Senate Votes 93 to 2 to Urge Federal Government to End Hemp Prohibition
A Kentucky resolution that urges the U.S. Congress to legalize industrial hemp has been passed by an overwhelming vote in the state’s Senate.
Kentucky House Concurrent Resolution 35 was approved yesterday through its third and final reading in the Senate by a vote of 93 to 2.
The resolution states that the “General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky urges the United States Congress to take action by enacting legislation that:
(1) Encourages large-scale commercial cultivation of hemp by removing it from the list of controlled substances under the federal Controlled Substances Act;
(2) Prevents the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) from sending DEA agents onto farms and other sites where hemp is being grown, stored, and processed;
(3) Creates legal protections for depository institutions that provide financial services to legitimate hemp businesses; and
(4) Instructs the federal Food and Drug Administration to accelerate clinical trials and other research on the health effects of cannabidiol (CBD) and other cannabinoids found in hemp.
The full resolution can be found by clicking here.
Thanks to a law passed by state lawmakers, Kentucky currently has an active industrial hemp program. Last month the state’s Department of Agriculture approved 12,018 acres of industrial hemp for the year. The hemp will be used for research purposes.