A couple of weeks ago we told you about Senator Ron Wyden’s industrial hemp amendment to the farm bill. The amendment to the farm bill, S.3240, the Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act of 2012, would allow American farmers to grow industrial hemp, a product with no psychoactive properties and a product that it is legal to import from other countries.

Senator Wyden recently put out a statement on his amendment after it failed to come up for a vote on the Senate floor. ”I firmly believe that American farmers should not be denied an opportunity to grow and sell a legitimate crop simply because it resembles an illegal one,” he said.  ”I fought for an amendment that would have recognized industrial hemp as a legitimate crop, but since doing so requires amending the Controlled Substances Act it was considered non-germane to the current debate and could not be brought up for a vote.  Raising this issue has sparked a growing awareness of exactly how ridiculous the U.S.’s ban on industrial hemp is.  I’m confident that if grassroots support continues to grow and Members of Congress continue to hear from voters then common sense hemp legislation can move through Congress in the near future.”

“Common sense” is not a phrase often attributed to the U.S. Congress, one of the least popular institutions in America. And here we see why. Industrial hemp is a no-brainer. Yet those who are suppose to represent us don’t even bother voting on an amendment that would help American farmers, thereby helping our economy. It seems jobs are also “non-germane to the current debate.”

- Joe Klare