The letter below is from Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA 1st District) to a Vote Hemp supporter in reply to a letter asking him to become a sponsor for the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2009.

Rep. Jay Inslee
(D-WA 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.

October 29, 2009

Dear Constituent,

Thank you for contacting me in support of industrial hemp farming. I appreciate hearing from you.

As you may know, the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2007, H.R. 1866, would amend the Controlled Substances Act to exclude industrial hemp from the definition of marijuana. This bill would also grant states the exclusive authority to regulate the growing and processing of industrial hemp, including determining whether plants meet the concentration limit. H.R. 1866 has been referred to the House Committee on Judiciary and Energy and Commerce. As a Member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, I will be sure to keep your thoughts in mind should the Committee hold hearings or votes on H.R. 1866.

I am aware of the historical use of hemp since it was widely grown as an agricultural crop from colonial times through the mid-1800's for fabrics, twine, and paper. As you know, it is currently legal to possess imported sterilized hemp seeds, hemp products (such as fabrics and hemp oil cosmetics) and raw hemp fiber, because these products are not included in the most restrictive category of controlled substances. However, under the current policy of the Office of the National Drug Control Policy and the DEA, such products must meet a zero-tolerance standard for tetrahydrocannabinol content (THC) in order to be cleared through U.S. Customs.

Please continue to contact me about the issues that concern you, as I both need and welcome your thoughts and ideas. Because security measures in the House cause delays in receiving postal mail, I encourage you to contact me by telephone, by fax, or through my website at http://www.house.gov/inslee/contact. For more information on my activities in Congress, and for information on services that my office can provide, please visit my website at http://www.house.gov/inslee/. If you would like to subscribe to my email updates, please visit http://www.house.gov/inslee/signup.htm.

Very truly yours,

Jay Inslee
Member of Congress