McConnell Backed Hemp Ban in Shutdown Bill, Threatening 300,000 Jobs

Sen. Mitch McConnell was identified as the leading Senate proponent of the hemp THC ban tucked into the government shutdown deal, framing it as restoring the "original intent" of the 2018 Farm Bill he authored. McConnell's push to close the intoxicating hemp loophole before his retirement drew fierce opposition from Sen. Rand Paul, who called it job-killing overreach that would require destroying every hemp seed in the country.