McConnell, keep the federal government from KY hemp. We will protect our children.

As a hemp dealer in Kentucky, who took the risk and responsibility of selling hemp products in accordance with our state and federal laws, I would like to thank Senator Mitch McConnell for his founding work in the revival of the US hemp industry. His leadership in the Farm Bill for 2014 and 2018 gave the retailers as us hope and an opportunity in time of uncertainty. But McConnell’s recent Op-End at The Courier Journal, calling for the redirection of popular hemp products, undermines this much promise and more importantly, to the right of Kentucky to manage its own affairs.

In 2023, the General Assembly in Kentucky adopted one of the most comprehensive state laws in the country to regulate the cannabinoid products obtained from hemp. This was not done quickly or in a vacuum. It is built through joint engagement with law enforcement, health officials, regulators and retailers themselves and McConnell’s federal lawsters aims to “protect”.

The result is a strong, applicable system with clear rules for restricting adult sales to 21 years or more, together with the increased requirements for independent laboratory tests, child -resistant packaging and retail license and checks. It was not a door. It was the leadership of Kentucky in action – the government, closest to people, doing what Washington, Colombia County, too often fails to do: solve the problem pragmatically.

Konthki’s hemp merchants protect children

Kentucky retailers do not neglect the safety of our children. We turn to it through a state body and supervision in accordance with our communities. For Washington, Colombia County, now to cancel these efforts with the superior federal prohibitions send an alarming message that countries cannot be believed to manage their own markets, protect their own children, or regulate their own industries. If the goal is to reject the security gaps of consumers, let the Kentucky model be the plan, not the precautionary damage.

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Let’s be very clear, no retailer in Kentucky protects the sale of adult products to children. We defend the ability of the law respected by traders to work in a clear, regulated and state -defined market, managed by the demand for adults.

We do not need a federal ban on any hemp product

The federal restrictions proposed by McConnell would do more to eliminate the legitimate livelihood as ours than to protect children. As history has proven, driving on this regulated underground market only makes it difficult for control. That is why we believe in regulation, not the federal ban and why the Kentucky approach deserves support, not an enterprise.

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Senator McConnell, Kentucky has already done what Washington is just now trying to understand. We acted. We legislative. We applied it. We did it the right way. For the sake of our retailers, farmers, processors, our rural economies and our children, we ask you to respect your country’s right to manage this issue. It is not necessary to prohibit any hemp product, especially those who actually help so many people. Whether it is PTSR veterans or people with cancer or epilepsy, these products help and should remain available.

Agree or disagree? Send a letter to the editor.

Dee Dee Taylor, owner of 502 hemp. June 9, 2025

DEE DEE TAYLOR is the president of the Kontaki Konopen Association Association and the owner of 502 hemp wellness center.

This article originally appeared on the Louisville Courier Journal: McConnell was wrong. Kentucky can protect children safe from hemp | Opinion

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