Rand Paul’s Fight Over ‘Reefer Madness’ Hemp Measure Could Slow Shutdown-Ending Bill

Sen. Rand Paul is threatening to delay passage of a bipartisan bill that would end the government shutdown over a provision that he says would destroy the hemp industry in his home state of Kentucky.

His opposition to the measure, which would effectively recriminalize consumer hemp products, also puts him at odds with his home-state colleague, Sen. Mitch McConnell, whom Paul called out by name Monday while speaking with reporters.

“The language that Sen. McConnell has put into the bill basically will kill the hemp industry nationwide,” Paul said. “It’s a $25 billion industry, and they’re going to outlaw it in one sentence.”

After eight Democrats voted with Republican Senators over the weekend on a bill to reopen the government, the deal was expected to pass through the chamber quickly, setting up a close vote in the House to bring an end to the longest shutdown in American history.

The conflict between the two senators from Kentucky stems from laws passed in the 2018 farm bill that excluded hemp from the legal definition of marijuana. New language, if passed, would effectively recriminalize hemp-based or hemp-derived products from being sold online or in convenience stores.

Paul said the measure contradicts laws in 20 states, and would force every hemp plant or seed to be destroyed. Kentucky is the second-largest producer of hemp in the United States, behind only California.

“They’ve not studied this issue at all. They have this bizarre notion, I think they watched ‘Reefer Madness’ in 1937 and haven’t gotten over it,” Paul said.

Paul is seeking a vote to remove the language from the bill quickly, hoping to avoid prolonging the shutdown, but told NOTUS on Monday that a delay is becoming increasingly likely. He said he was unsure of how many Republicans support the measure, and said it’s likely that some may vote for it because of McConnell’s influence in the Senate.

Some Republicans have voiced their displeasure with Paul’s measure.

“That’s a very hard argument, saying I’m going to hold the government shut down over hemp? Come on,” Sen. Markwayne Mullin said.

Paul said leadership is willing to hold a vote to remove the language recriminalizing hemp. It will need 51 votes to pass.