Senator Mitch McConnell pushing hard for hemp deregulation

In Kentucky, the Associated Press reports that Senator Mitch McConnell will support hemp legalization legislation, removing the crop from the controlled substances list and introducing it as an agricultural commodity. The state is a leading hemp producer with more than 12,000 acres licensed to grow the crop and 57 processors producing a wide range of products. Prior to regulation, the state had been a major producer of the crop and promoters believe should it be deregulated, hemp could be bigger than tobacco for the state’s agricultural economy.