The letter below is from Sen. Kay Hagan to a Vote Hemp supporter in reply to a letter asking her to become a cosponsor of the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2011.

Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC)

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.

June 11, 2012

Dear Constituent,

Thank you for contacting me regarding the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2011. I appreciate hearing your thoughts on this important issue.

On May 11, 2011, the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2011 (H.R. 1831) was introduced in the House of Representatives and referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security. The bill would amend the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 (PL No. 91-513) to exclude industrial hemp from the definition of marijuana. The bill also grants those states which allow the growing and processing of industrial hemp authority over any criminal, civil action, or administrative proceedings related to industrial hemp in their state. Although hemp contains virtually no psychoactive chemicals and thus cannot be used as a drug, the Controlled Substances Act does not currently distinguish between the varieties of marijuana.

As you probably know, farmers in more than 30 countries grow hemp commercially for fiber, seed and oil used in a variety of industrial and consumer products, including food. I understand your thoughts regarding industrial hemp farming and its potential to be a high-value alternative crop for North Carolina, and I will keep your thoughts and opinions in mind should I have the opportunity to vote on H.R. 1831 in the United States Senate.

Again, thank you for contacting my office. It is truly an honor to represent North Carolina in the United States Senate, and I hope you will not hesitate to contact me in the future should you have any further questions or concerns. If you would like to stay informed on my work in the Senate, you can sign up for my e-newsletter, follow me on Twitter at @SenatorHagan, or visit my Facebook page.

Sincerely,

Kay R. Hagan

Please do not reply to this email. Instead, if you have further questions, please visit www.hagan.senate.gov and fill out my web form for your inquiry. Thank you.