U.S. Senator Rand Paul Introduces Bill to Block Federal Hemp Ban, Preserve State Authority
- Senator Rand Paul introduced the Hemp Safety Enforcement Act to prevent a federal ban on most hemp products and keep regulatory power with the states.
- The bill aims to protect family farms, preserve jobs, and maintain consumer access to hemp products used for sleep, anxiety, and pain relief.
- The proposal allows states to regulate hemp themselves through an opt-out system, requiring a minimum purchase age and banning dangerous synthetic cannabinoids not naturally found in hemp.
- The act supports interstate commerce for legal hemp products, aligns with President Trump’s executive order on medical marijuana and CBD research, and seeks bipartisan support.
U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) says he has introduced the Hemp Safety Enforcement Act, a proposal designed to stop what he calls a federal move toward banning most hemp products while keeping authority in the hands of states.
In a series of social media posts published Friday, Paul said Congress’s “last-minute revival of hemp prohibition,” included in last year’s continuing appropriations act, would outlaw most hemp products and threaten a multibillion-dollar industry. He said the proposal he’s introducing is meant to protect family farms, preserve jobs and maintain access to products many consumers use to help with sleep, anxiety and pain.
According to Paul, the measure would not override state hemp laws already in place. Instead, he said the Hemp Safety Enforcement Act “creates an ‘opt-out’ so states can continue regulating hemp themselves,” as long as they maintain “a minimum age for purchase” and keep in place a ban on “dangerous synthetic cannabinoids that don’t naturally occur in the hemp plant.”
That distinction could become a key part of the debate. In recent years, lawmakers in multiple states have moved to tighten restrictions on intoxicating hemp-derived products, especially synthetic cannabinoids and products sold outside regulated systems. Paul’s bill appears aimed at separating those concerns from broader efforts that could ban a much wider range of hemp products.
Paul also said the proposal “preserves interstate commerce for legal products” and is “fully consistent with President Trump’s executive order expanding medical marijuana and CBD research.”
The Kentucky senator framed the bill as a public safety measure that would still respect state authority and adult choice. “We’ve seen prohibition fail before,” Paul said in one of the posts. “It fails miserably.”
Paul said he is “looking forward to bipartisan support” for the measure.