1. United States
2. S.C.
3. Letter

I’m writing you today to bring up an issue with growing urgency that has been on my mind for a while. As we both know that there is a push to “weed out” the cannabis industry that has been supporting America through these tough times. And personally for the life of me, I can’t see why this would be done. Not only is it a billion dollar industry that helps support small businesses; Hemp and hemp derived products like CBD and even Delta nine are plant medicine. Not some kind of lab made prescription. It has thousands of years of history being used in traditional medicine. And has a wide applications for symptom relief today. From supporting patients with cancer receiving treatment , or people with anxiety, sleep, digestive,appetite and focus issues . hemp derived products like CBD should be treated with the reverence it deserves. while I recognize the problem this ban is trying to address. That being the seamlessly little amounts of regulation that it has. I implore the law to not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Hemp derived products have many benefits and hemp deserves more recognition as a widely applicable product. With the right application, preferentially lab testing and processing restrictions like for example the banning of butane solvent extraction. Hemp derived products cannot only can be safe but have the full wide range of benefits for health and welfare of Americans. It’s not fair that our law supports billion dollar industries like tobacco and alcohol. both of which are known carcinogens and not natural plant medicine that with the right processing is more beneficial than ether nicotine or alcohol consumption could ever be. Even for using hemp derived products like Delta nine for recreation, it is not fair that Americans wouldn’t be able to make the healthier choice to consume hemp, derived products rather than alcohol or nicotine. Both of which are carcinogenic and nicotine especially is chemically addictive. Allowing the prohibition of hemp derived products, not only says you don’t care about the health and welfare of Americans. But also says that you would rather support the industries that make Americans more sick. Alcohol and cigarettes are attributed to around 650,000 deaths each year. while chemically? Hemp derived products have zero. It’s hard to find an outbreak of any kind of processing issue with hemp derived products that have more than 1000 deaths let alone 100,000. So is this issue really about hemp and hemp derived products? Or is this issue about larger, more toxic industries, knowing that hemp derived products and small businesses would be worse competition for their substances that are clearly worse for the health and welfare of Americans. And Americans know it too. 72% of Americans approved of the use of hemp derived products like CBD and delta 90 THC. Well, only 14% would advocate for a federal ban. Would leaves me to wonder where is the representation for our people? Where is the representation for Americans that want a healthier alternative for a relaxing night? Where is the representation for Americans that have a hard time with their health? Where is the representation for Americans fighting cancer need to alleviate their symptoms with hemp derived products like CBD? And why does it seem that competing in industries that are already well established that produce products that directly kill almost 1,000,000 Americans a year get a bigger voice than the 72% of people that just want to let hemp derived products be available? As Lord Acton, once said in 1877, “ power tends to corrupt an absolute power corrupts absolutely” this country was founded in spite of tyrants, I want our representative democracy to work. But that can only happen if our representatives listen to the people. Not the money.