Paul, Frank introduce bill to legalize hemp

An unlikely duo has teamed up to legalize hemp. Reps. Barney Frank (D-MA) and Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) have introduced legislation to exclude “industrial hemp” from the definition of marijuana in the Controlled Substances Act. (h/t Washington Independent).

Introducing the legislation, Paul said:

It is unfortunate that the Federal Government has stood in the way of American farmers, including many who are struggling to make ends meet, competing in the global industrial hemp market. Indeed, the founders of our Nation, some of whom grew hemp, would surely find that Federal restrictions on farmers growing a safe and profitable crop on their own land are inconsistent with the constitutional guarantee of a limited, restrained Federal Government.

Drug policy is one of those rare issues that unites libertarians and liberals, a dynamic confirmed by the list of co-sponsors. Liberals like Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), the Chairman of the Progressive Caucus, are joining forces with Reps. Tom McClintock (R-CA) and Dana Rohrabacher.