Industrial Hemp Supporters Ratchet Up Pressure

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Industrial hemp supporters are ratcheting up the pressure to force a vote on a stalled bill that would allow farmers in Kentucky to grow the crop if federal ban is lifted. A group led by state Agriculture Commissioner James Comer urged House Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom McKee Thursday to allow a vote on the bill. The group included a prominent northern Kentucky tobacco farmer who lives in McKee's district.

Farmer Brian Furnish, a Republican, warned that McKee will face a strong challenge in the next election if he stifles the hemp bill. Furnish is no stranger to Frankfort as a member of the state's hemp commission. He was once an agriculture adviser to former Governor Ernie Fletcher. Furnish declined to say if he would personally challenge McKee.