The letter below is from Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) to a Vote Hemp supporter in reply to a letter asking them to become a sponsor for the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2009.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX)

If you receive a reply from one of your elected representatives please email a copy of it to Tom Murphy, Vote Hemp's National Outreach Coordinator, at tom@votehemp.com. It will help with our lobbying efforts to know the contents of these letters. We will not publish your name or address and hold them in confidence.

May 14, 2009

Dear Constituent,

Thank you for contacting me regarding legislation to enable hemp cultivation in the United States. I appreciate you willingness to participate in the legislative process.

As you may know, Congressman Ron Paul introduced legislation entitled the Industrial Hemp Farming Act (H.R. 1866) on April 2, 2009. This legislation would decriminalize certain hemp varieties closely related to illicit marijuana, and would allow States to regulate cultivation of industrial varieties of the plant. To date, similar legislation has not been introduced in the Senate.

While I recognize that hemp varieties were once common in American agriculture and that imported hemp fiber and by-products still serve a number of legitimate commercial purposes, I share the concern of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) that decriminalizing hemp cultivation could increase the likelihood of illicit marijuana cultivation and complicate federal surveillance and enforcement measures. However, you may be certain that I will keep your thoughts in mind should relevant legislation be introduced in the Senate.

I appreciate the opportunity to represent Texans in the United States Senate. Thank you for taking the time to contact me.

Sincerely,

John Cornyn
United States Senator