Hemp Makes for Strange Bedfellows…

Best comment on this photo — from the Courier-Journal’s Joe Gerth: “You look awfully pasty, Jonathan”

Day 2 of my great hemp adventures in Washington with Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner James Comer has just begun.

But as we trek around Capitol Hill and up Pennsylvania Avenue, I wanted to share with you the picture at left — the highlight of yesterday’s marathon visits with Members of Congress and senior Obama Administration officials.

It’s funny, but I did not share with the Speaker my political party affiliation.  Although I did mention my daughter is his constituent at Miami University in Ohio.

And sorry to disappoint my fellow progressives who feel comfort in demonizing our political opponents as “enemies” or rotten people:  Speaker John Boehner was engaging, extremely generous with his time, and very serious about the hemp legalization issue.  He asked dozens of penetrating questions, digging deep into the agricultural and economic development potential of the crop; and fortunately Commissioner Comer was around to to provide substantive answers.

I’m the old man with Congressman Massie and Commissioner Comer

I also really enjoyed meeting Tea Party favorite, Congressman Thomas Massie.  Massie is wicked smaht (a good description of an MIT grad), very warm, and was really eager to find common ground with me, discussing his involvement on issues such as hemp legalization, drone oversight, and providing flexibility on mandatory minimum sentences.

Of course, I did get to turn the tables on Commissioner Comer with several meetings with my fellow Democrats, including Obama Administration officials at several agencies, as well as my favorite Congressman, Louisville’s John Yarmuth (SPOILER ALERT: an hilarious photo is forthcoming.)

The feedback was consistent — those who were already educated on the issue were very supportive.  Our critical task in Washington — as it was in Frankfort — is to simply share the facts and dispel the myths.  Once that task is complete, hemp will be legalized.  I’m confident.

As always, we strongly encourage to get involved — NOW. Here are three very simple things that you can do — right now, at your computer — to register your support for legalized industrial hemp and pressure Washington to fulfill the people’s will:

1. Contact your Senators to urge them to co-sponsor and support S. 359, the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2013. introduced by Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Rand Paul (R-KY) that would exclude hemp from the definition of marijuana and allow states to legalize and regulate the product.  Here is a great link to contact them from Vote Hemp.
2. Contact your Congressman and urge him or her to co-sponsor the companion bill in the House, H.R. 525, the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2013, introduced by Congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY).  Here is a great link to contact them from Vote Hemp.
3. Sign the following petition to President Obama, urging his Administration to lift the barriers to legalized hemp: