The letter below is from Sen. Dianne Feinstein to a Vote Hemp supporter in reply to a letter asking her to cosponsor a Senate version of H.R. 1831, the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2011.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)

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.

May 12, 2011

Dear Constituent,

Thank you for writing to me concerning your support for the industrial application of cannabis sativa L. (hemp). I appreciate hearing from you on this issue, and I welcome the opportunity to respond.

As you may know, cannabis is classified as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act. Currently, it is illegal in the U.S. to grow any form of hemp, although products that contain hemp are legally imported from other nations and sold in the U.S. On April 6, 2009, Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) introduced the "Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2009" (H.R.1866), which would have amended the Controlled Substances Act to allow the cultivation of industrial hemp in states that have permitted the substance to be grown. H.R. 1866 was not enacted before the 111th Congress adjourned on December 22, 2010. Accordingly, this bill must be reintroduced in the current Congress.

I oppose the legalization of cannabis products, including industrial hemp. My convictions on this matter have been developed over many years of experience in criminal justice, including nine years as a mayor and working very closely with the law enforcement community. I am concerned that additional legalization of cannabis would cause significant problems with drug enforcement activity.

You may also be interested to know that in 2006 and 2007, the California State Legislature passed legislation that would have allowed for industrial hemp to be grown in California. However, both of these bills were subsequently vetoed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Again, thank you for sharing your views with me. I hope you will continue to keep in touch on issues that are important to you. If you have any further questions or comments, please feel free to call my Washington D.C. office at (202) 224-3841. Best regards.

Sincerely yours,

Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator

Further information about my position on issues of concern to California and the Nation are available at my website, Feinstein.senate.gov. You can also receive electronic e-mail updates by subscribing to my e-mail list. Click here to sign up. Feel free to checkout my YouTube Page.