Matthew Hurtt on Legalizing Domestic Hemp

Supporters of industrial hemp gained a powerful ally in Washington recently when Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) joined fellow Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul and Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) as a co-sponsor of S.359, the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2013. The House companion, sponsored by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), has 28 co-sponsors. As Matthew Hurtt explains, the bills would amend the Controlled Substances Act to exclude industrial hemp, the domestic production of which has been illegal since 1970.