Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has suggested that Americans wear hemp-based face masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Marijuana Moment reports. The statement came during a news conference held at the Kentucky hemp company Ecofibre, which has been producing hemp-based face masks amid the ongoing pandemic.
Sen. McConnell highlighted Ecofibre as an example of how Kentucky businesses had “adapted to the pandemic situation” to produce “helpful” products.
“The coronavirus is not gone. In the meantime, I recommend a hemp mask as one of the best.” — Sen. Mitch McConnell, in a statement
Sen. McConnell has been a vocal supporter of industrial hemp for several years and spearheaded the push to federally legalize hemp via the 2018 farm bill. He symbolically signed his name on that bill with a pen made from hemp.
From homegrown hemp masks to distilleries making hand sanitizer, Kentuckians are leading by example. We’re going to keep working together to beat this virus. pic.twitter.com/ll44Cdk9k5
— Leader McConnell (@senatemajldr) August 24, 2020
While bullish on hemp, however, the Senate Majority Leader remains a marijuana skeptic. Earlier this month, he goaded House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) over language in the House coronavirus relief plan that seeks to give the cannabis industry access to traditional banking services. Sen. McConnell suggested that the cannabis provisions were “strange new special interest carveouts” that were unrelated to COVID-19, despite the industry’s nearly universal status as an essential service throughout the pandemic.
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