Paul Ryan Supports Legalizing CBD and Industrial Hemp

Earlier this week, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan announced his support to end federal cannabidiol (“CBD”) prohibition and expressed strong support for the uses of industrial hemp. To view the video of Ryan’s comments, go here at the 21:15 mark.

For any newbies out there, CBD is one of the many chemical compounds in a class called “cannabinoids” that naturally occur in cannabis plants. “[CBD] has proven to work,” Ryan said, specifying that it “helps reduce seizures.” Indeed, the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) approved Epidiolex back in August, which is G.W. Pharma’s oral CBD solution for the treatment of seizure associated with Lennox-Gastraut and Dravet syndrome. The FDA approval prompted the Drug Enforcement Administration to reschedule all FDA-approved drugs containing cannabis-derived CBD with no more than 0.1 percent THC under Schedule V of the Controlled Substance Act (“CSA”).

The Speaker, who is not running for reelection and is retiring from Congress at the end of the year, shared that his mother-in-law used a synthetic form of cannabinoids when she was dying from melanoma and ovarian cancer.

Ryan also jumped on the opportunity to speak in favor of industrial hemp when responding to a medical marijuana question from a rally attendee who husband had succumbed to cancer. “And by the way, there’s a lot of industrial uses for hemp that I understand from talking to Mitch McConnell is a big deal to Kentucky agriculture,” he said. “And we’re all in favor of that as well.” Ryan is not going as far as John Boehner, a recent House Speaker who is currently sitting on an advisory board for a for-profit marijuana company, but his take is welcome news to us.

The Speaker’s endorsement of industrial hemp comes at a decisive time. As we previously discussed, Congressional leaders are still attempting to reconcile the House and the Senate versions of the 2018 Farm Bill. The Senate version, which was introduced and championed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, would legalize hemp by removing the crop from the CSA definition of marijuana. The House version, however, is silent on this issue, and thus would afford meager protection for the crop. With Paul Ryan’s public support for ending federal CBD prohibition, however, it seems more likely that the House would approve the hemp language found in the Senate bill.

This is not the first time that Ryan has expressed support for the legalization of CBD and industrial hemp. Back in 2015, the speaker co-sponsored a bill with Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) that sought to remove industrial hemp and CBD-infused products containing less than 0.3 percent THC from the definition of marijuana under the CSA.

It is still important to note, however, that the Speaker’s endorsement of CBD does not extend to the full legalization of marijuana, even for medical uses. “There’s no THC in that oil. That is not medical marijuana,” he declared. But of course, Ryan’s statement is inaccurate given that most CBD products contain small amounts of the psychoactive cannabis compound.

Nonetheless, proponents of industrial hemp and CBD should be pleased by this latest and encouraging development. The public support for the legalization of the crop and of marijuana’s non-psychoactive cousin by one of the most powerful Congressional leaders reveals a shift in the minds of conservatives and suggests the likely passage of the much anticipated 2018 Farm Bill. Stay tuned!