The letter below is from Rep. Charlie Melancon (D-LA 3rd District) to a Vote Hemp supporter in reply to a letter asking him to become a sponsor for the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2009.

Rep. Charlie Melancon
(D-LA 3rd District)

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.

July 31, 2009

Dear Constituent,

Thank you for taking the time to contact me to express your views on H.R. 1866 "The Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2009." I really appreciate hearing your views.

As you know, H.R. 1866 would remove industrial hemp from the definition of marijuana in the Controlled Substances Act. By doing this industrial hemp could be grown and distributed as allowed by state legislation. H. R. 1866 is currently in the House Judiciary Committee. While I do not sit on the Judiciary Committee, I can assure you that I will keep your letter in mind should this bill come to a vote before the full House of Representative.

As a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, I value the opinions of my constituents. Hearing your views helps me make decisions on legislation that I must consider. I encourage you to write again in the future if there are any other issues that you have concerns about.

Thank you again for contacting me about this issue. I am proud to represent Louisiana's Third Congressional District, and I am here to serve you. Please do not hesitate to contact me again if I may be of further assistance. Please visit my website at www.house.gov/melancon to sign up for my e-newsletter to learn more about my work at home and in Washington.

Sincerely,

Charlie Melancon
Member of Congress
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