A group of 58 hemp farmers from 20 different counties in Kentucky signed a letter sent to GOP Sen. Mitch McConnell on Monday, urging him to not insert language in any bill that would “criminalize” the sale of hemp-derived cannabinoids.

The letter comes as Congress approaches a federal government shutdown in October, attempting to avoid it by passing a short-term spending bill by Sept. 30 — the contents of which are still in flux.

McConnell angered many in the hemp industry in July, when he inserted language into an agriculture spending bill that critics said would “devastate” the industry. Those critics included Sen. Rand Paul — a fellow Kentucky Republican — who successfully stripped McConnell’s provision from the bill before it cleared the chamber three weeks later.

The hemp farmers’

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