The future of hemp legalization is up to Mitch McConnell. Period.

House supporters of the idea tried to include legalization measures into the big farm bill lawmakers have been considering, but were advised to back off

McConnell’s taking care of things, they were told.

Reps. Andy Barr, R-Kentucky, and James Comer, R-Kentucky, and others tried to get the House to vote on a plan.

Forget it, said Rules Committee chairman Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas. The committee, controlled by House leaders, largely decides what the House will consider.

Sessions made it clear this issue is all McConnell’s.

“A decision on this effort, including the language, has been determined by an agreement that would be reached with Mr. McConnell,” Sessions told Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colorado, who asked for a vote on a proposal by him and Comer to take hemp off the list of controlled substances. Their effort failed 8 to 3.

McConnell, the Senate Majority Leader, has long been an advocate for legalized hemp, an important crop in his home state. The six-term senator is expected to seek another term in 2020, and has already begun putting an organization together. Support from the state’s rural sector will be crucial. [Read more at McClatchy DC]