Number: RL32725
Title: Hemp as an Agricultural Commodity
Authors: Jean M. Rawson, Resources, Science, and Industry Division 
Abstract: In February 2007, legislation was introduced that would open the way for commercial cultivation of industrial hemp in the United States (H.R. 1009; in the 109th Congress, H.R. 3037). The Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2007 would amend Section 102 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 802(16)) to specify that the term "marijuana" does not include industrial hemp. Such a change would mean that state law would determine whether producers could grow and process industrial hemp within state borders, under state regulations. Currently, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) determines whether any industrial hemp production authorized under a state statute will be permitted, and it enforces standards governing the security conditions under which the crop must be grown.
Pages: 8
Date: March 23, 2007