In 2015 the Industrial Hemp Farming Act was introduced by a group of U.S Senators. The Act expanded the permission to produce and cultivate hemp to farmers outside of universities and research purposes that the 2014 Farm Bill allowed. This bill was important in that it gave the power to individual states to create their own hemp regulatory structure as long as they were reasonable within federal guidelines and made the following 2 distinctions
(1)The term ‘marihuana’ does not include industrial hemp.
(2) The term ‘industrial hemp’ means the plant Cannabis sativa L. and any part of such plant, whether growing or not, with a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of not more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis.’’.
The Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2009 (H.R. 1866), introduced during the 111th United States Congress by House Republican Ron Paul of Texas) and House Democrat Barney Frank of Massachusetts) on April 2, 2009, sought to clarify the differences between marijuana and industrial hemp as well as repeal federal laws that prohibit cultivation of industrial, but only for research facilities of higher education from conducting research. Industrial hemp is the non-psychoactive, low-THC, oil-seed and fibers varieties of, predominantly, the cannabis sativa plant. Hemp is a sustainable resource that can be used to create thousands of different products including fuel, fabrics, paper, household products, and food and has been used for hundreds of centuries by civilizations around the world. If H.R.1866 passes American farmers will be permitted to compete in global hemp markets. On March 10, 2009, both Paul and Frank wrote a letter to their Congressional colleagues urging them to support the legislation. This bill was previously introduced in 2005 under the title of Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2005.
