The letter below is from Rep. Bart Stupak to a Vote Hemp supporter in reply to a letter asking him to become a sponsor of the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2009.

Rep. Bart Stupak
(D-MI 1st District)

If you receive a reply from one of your elected representatives please email a copy of it to us at hempinfo@votehemp.com. It will help with our lobbying efforts to know the contents of these letters. We will not publish your name or address and hold them in confidence.

February 23, 2009

Dear Constituent,

Thank you for contacting me regarding the Industrial Hemp Farming Act (H.R. 1009). I appreciated hearing from you, and I apologize for the delay in my reply.

On February 13, 2007, Congressman Ron Paul introduced the Industrial Hemp Farming Act. This legislation would amend the Controlled Substances Act to exclude industrial hemp from the definition of marijuana, and allow hemp to be grown so long as it does not contain a high concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol. This legislation was referred to the House Judiciary Committee, but did not come to the House Floor for a vote in the 110th Congress. I will keep your thoughts in mind should this legislation be re-introduced in the 111th Congress.

Again, thank you for taking the time to contact me. Please feel free to contact me again in the future with issues that concern you.

Sincerely,

BART STUPAK
Member of Congress