On May 26, H.R. 1866, which would remove fed laws against hemp farming, was assigned to the House Subcommitte on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security. (A Subcom of House Judiciary Comm.)

I bet you didn’t know that your hemp shoes, backpack, shirt, or purse raised a crime issue. Haven’t heard of any Hemp Cartels? Or that your hemp shower curtain reflected a terroist threat. Behind the hemp curtain, evil lurks? Or that your breakfast cereal was a threat to Homeland Security?

Hemp in its distant cousinship to marijuana has been illegal under federal law for American farmers to grow. So, the hemp for oil, fiber, and foodstuffs you have available to you comes from Canada and 30-odd other coutries. Even if hemp farming is legal under state law, like in North Dakota, for example, a farmer there can’t grow it.

We’ve had bills introduced before — to no avail. Now we have HR 1866, cosponsored by Repubs Ron Paul and Dana Rohrabacher and 8 Democrats including Barney Frank  and Pete Stark (5 of 8 Dems and Mr. Rohrabacher are from Calif. — Ag interests at work?). It’s taken HR 1866 2 months just to get assigned out to this Subcommittee.

Must we have hearings to determine whether growing hemp is a threat to national security? Congress moves in strange ways, slow and often absurd. At least HR 1866 has been assigned out, though many Bills die out there.

Enjoy your hemp granola! (But keep an eye on it — after all, it’s too dangerous to be grown on American soil).