Politics
Watch: President Trump To Sign 2018 Farm Bill, Legalizing Hemp
With a swipe of his pen, President Donald Trump will sign the 2018 Farm Bill into law on Thursday, authorizing spending on a wide range of agriculture programs and legalizing industrial hemp.
You can watch the signing ceremony live below, scheduled to start at 2:30 PM ET:
The hemp provision, which was secured in the final version of the bill under the leadership of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), will allow farmers to apply to cultivate and sell the crop. The industry will be lightly regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
It’s been decades since hemp was banned in the country as part of the broader prohibition against marijuana. But even as the crop remained illegal to grow, the market for hemp-derived products ballooned. It’s just that the products have had to be imported.
Now, after months of debate on various other aspects of the legislation, the Farm Bill has finally arrived on the president’s desk—and with Trump’s signature, the long-awaited end of hemp prohibition.
Hemp Is Officially Legalized With President Trump’s Signature On The Farm Bill
Photo courtesy of Gage Skidmore.
