From: The Honorable Suzanne Bonamici
Sent By: sarah.round@mail.house.gov
Date: 3/7/2016

This provision was adopted 282-146 in the FY2016 CJS Bill (Roll no. 280)

**This is a language request**

Deadline: COB March 18th

Signers: Bonamici, Blumenauer, Polis, Massie, DeFazio, Peterson, Perlmutter, Pocan, Blum, Yarmuth, and Zinke

Dear Colleague:

Please join us in asking Appropriators to include language in the FY2017 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act to protect states that have legalized industrial hemp.

George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew it. During World War II patriotic American farmers raised it for the war effort and 27 states say their farmers should be able to grow it too.

But the federal government is still standing in the way of family farmers who want to grow industrial hemp – a potentially multi-billion dollar crop that can be used to make everything from rope to soap. Despite the fact that American farmers can’t grow hemp, hemp products account for over $600 million in annual sales. That’s a sizeable industry, but nothing compared to the economic effect full scale cultivation and commercialization would have if states were permitted to implement their own laws.

So far, 27 states have seen the value that hemp provides and have passed laws to allow farmers to grow it. That means that farmers in (California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia) are waiting on the federal government to get out of the way and let them do their jobs. But because the Department of Justice refuses to acknowledge what Washington and Jefferson knew – hemp is an important agricultural commodity, and is not marijuana – these state laws are taking a back seat to federal overreach.

Last year the House overwhelmingly approved the Bonamici/Massie/Blumenauer/Polis amendment 282-146. The amendment stated:“None of the funds made available in this Act to the Department of Justice may be used to prevent a State from implementing its own State laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession, or cultivation of industrial hemp, as defined in section 7606 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (Public Law 113-79).”

We urge you to join us in signing this letter that asks Appropriators to include language in the FY2017 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act to protect states that have legalized industrial hemp. For more information, or to sign on, please contact Sarah Round in Rep. Bonamici’s office at sarah.round@mail.house.gov or at 5-0855 or Ryan Falk in Rep. Massie’s office at ryan.falk@mail.house.gov or 5-3465.

Sincerely,

Suzanne Bonamici                  Earl Blumenauer                     Jared Polis                   Thomas Massie

Member of Congress               Member of Congress               Member of Congress   Member of Congress

March X, 2016

Dear Chairman Culberson and Ranking Member Honda,

We write to urge you to include language in the FY2017 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act to protect states that have legalized industrial hemp. Twenty-seven states now allow farmers to cultivate hemp to some extent. Unfortunately, despite the clear language of the 2014 farm bill, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) continues to delay shipments of hemp seed destined for legitimate hemp pilot programs. These actions violate federal law and cost the farmers participating in these programs time and money.

Industrial hemp is a potentially multi-billion dollar crop that is used to make everything from rope to soap. Despite the fact that our antiquated federal laws keep American farmers from growing hemp, hemp products account for over $600 million in annual domestic sales. Hemp pilot programs are an important step toward filling this demand and ensuring that U.S. farmers can grow hemp rather than importing it from places like Canada and China.

To prevent federal overreach, we supported an amendment to the FY 2016 CJS bill (H.R. 2578) to prevent the Department of Justice from interfering with state laws regarding hemp. The text of the amendment stated, “None of the funds made available in this Act to the Department of Justice may be used to prevent a State from implementing its own State laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession, or cultivation of industrial hemp, as defined in section 7606 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (Public Law 113-79).” The amendment passed with strong bipartisan support by a 282-146 margin. We respectfully request that you include this language in the FY 2017 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, consistent with the wishes of the majority of Representatives who supported it last year.

This language will provide greater certainty in the twenty-seven states that have passed laws to allow farmers, institutions of higher education, and state agriculture departments to research and cultivate hemp, and allow the DEA to focus their resources on serious threats to our nation. Thank you for your consideration of this request.

Sincerely,