Senator Mitch McConnell has introduced a bill to legalize hemp as an agricultural product.
The Hemp Farming Act of 2018 would legalize hemp, removing it from the federal list of controlled substances and allowing it to be sold as an agricultural commodity, according to WKYT.
If approved, the act would allow states to control their own hemp regulations by removing federal restrictions. WKYT also reported it would give hemp researchers the ability to apply for grants through the Department of Agriculture.
Members of the Iowa agricultural community have been promoting this idea at the state level for years - even when I was in the legislature.
Here's a recent editorial in the Des Moines Register in favor of the idea by Senator Tom Shipley (R-Nodaway).
Hemp can be used as a third rotational crop or as a cover crop. The plant lends itself to a myriad of production applications, including but not limited to: animal feed, textiles, body care products, cosmetics, plastics, biofuels, and food for human consumption. It is resilient and often drought-resistant, and requires few or no pesticides.
The opposition to hemp production is the same type of objection that proponents of medical marijuana faced; this is feared to be the slippery slope of legalization of pot.
In hemp's case, opponents feared that hemp plants would exist as a "cover crop" for the illegal plants.
What do you think? Would the combination of growing legal marijuana for medicinal purposes in Iowa plus the production of hemp lead to legalized pot?