Rep. Ron Paul of Texas introduced the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2011 (H.R. 1831) on May 11, 2011, and carried the issue onto the 2012 Republican presidential campaign trail, telling a North Dakota audience on February 20, 2012, that “there is no reason, in a free society, that farmers shouldn’t be allowed to raise hemp.” His bills never passed, but their core idea, removing low-THC hemp from the definition of marijuana, became federal law in the 2018 Farm Bill.
What Happened
H.R. 1831 would have amended the Controlled Substances Act so that “industrial hemp,” defined as cannabis with no more than 0.3% THC on a dry weight basis, was no longer treated as marijuana. Paul filed it with 22 original cosponsors from both parties, including Democrats Barney Frank, Earl Blumenauer and Jared Polis and Republicans Tom McClintock and Dana Rohrabacher. It was referred to the Energy and Commerce and Judiciary committees and never advanced. It was the latest version of a bill Paul had filed since 2005; the 2009 version, H.R. 1866, which he introduced with Frank, also died in committee.
During a two-day swing before North Dakota’s March 6, 2012, caucuses, Paul raised hemp with farm-state voters. “Hemp is a good product,” he said, according to the Associated Press. His itinerary that Monday included the Jamestown convention and an evening appearance at the Bismarck district convention, per a campaign release.
Background
Federal law at the time made no distinction between hemp and marijuana, so American farmers could not grow the crop without a DEA permit that was almost never granted, while hemp seed, oil and fiber were legally imported from Canada and elsewhere. North Dakota had passed its own hemp farming law and licensed farmers, but they still could not plant without federal permission. For Paul, a libertarian who opposed the drug war generally, hemp was a property-rights and farm-economy issue. The same year he co-sponsored the first bill to end federal marijuana prohibition, the 2011 Frank-Paul bill.
What Happened Next
Paul lost the nomination to Mitt Romney and retired from Congress in January 2013. The hemp bill outlived him. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky reintroduced it as H.R. 525 on February 6, 2013, and Sen. Ron Wyden filed a Senate version, S. 359, on February 14, 2013, with Paul’s son, Sen. Rand Paul, and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell as cosponsors.
McConnell’s backing proved decisive. Section 7606 of the Agricultural Act of 2014, signed February 7, 2014, let universities and state agriculture departments grow hemp for research and pilot programs, notwithstanding the Controlled Substances Act. The 2018 Farm Bill, signed December 20, 2018, went the rest of the way: it removed hemp with 0.3% THC or less from the Controlled Substances Act and allowed commercial farming, using the same threshold H.R. 1831 had proposed.
Where It Stands in 2026
The 2018 law also opened the door to intoxicating hemp-derived products such as delta-8 THC, and Congress has since reversed course. A law signed November 12, 2025, moves federal hemp to a total-THC standard and caps finished products at 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container; the restrictions on naturally occurring cannabinoids are set to take effect December 11, 2026. Our history of the U.S. hemp industry covers the boom and the crackdown, and what hemp is used for explains the fiber, seed and food side Paul was talking about. Current rules are on our federal marijuana laws page.
Industrial Hemp Farming Act FAQ
What was the Industrial Hemp Farming Act?
A bill, first filed by Rep. Ron Paul in 2005 and reintroduced in later Congresses, to remove industrial hemp (0.3% THC or less) from the federal definition of marijuana. The 2011 version was H.R. 1831.
Did the Industrial Hemp Farming Act pass?
No version passed on its own. Its central idea became law through the 2014 Farm Bill’s research pilots and the 2018 Farm Bill’s full legalization of hemp.
Who sponsored the hemp bill after Ron Paul retired?
Rep. Thomas Massie (H.R. 525) and Sen. Ron Wyden (S. 359) in 2013, with Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell cosponsoring the Senate bill.
Originally reported by The Weed Street Journal; rewritten and updated in October 2026 with what happened next.