Sept. 29, 2017
Contact: Bernadette Green, (202) 225-2476
Grothman Cosponsors Bill to Legalize Industrial Hemp
(Washington, D.C.) – Congressman Glenn Grothman (R-Glenbeulah) today joined nine other Republicans and fifteen Democrats as a co-sponsor of Rep. James Comer’s (R-Ky.) Industrial Hemp Farming Act (H.R. 3530). H.R. 3530 amends The Controlled Substances Act to exclude industrial hemp from the definition of marihuana.
Industrial hemp contains less than 1 percent Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and was legal in the U.S. until 1937. It’s used to create a variety of products, including construction materials, biofuel, rope, plastic composites and more.
Currently, the U.S. is the only major industrialized country that cannot legally grow hemp. The U.S. is also the largest importer of industrial hemp material, which means that American farmers are losing out on potential profit to farmers in other countries like Canada who can legally grow hemp.
“Industrial hemp plays a large role in Wisconsin’s agricultural history, and legalizing it now will only benefit Wisconsin,” said Grothman. “Non-narcotic industrial hemp makes our economy stronger by providing an additional revenue stream for farmers, and is useful in other areas like construction and manufacturing.”
H.R. 3530 ensures that industrial hemp is considered a non-narcotic agricultural commodity so it can be used in thousands of legal and legitimate products.
Among Grothman’s many considerations when making the decision to co-sponsor H.R. 3530 was the input of Eugene Hahn, a former member of the Wisconsin State Assembly and a long-time advocate of hemp.
