WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate has passed a government funding bill that would give the nation’s embattled hemp industry roughly one more month before sweeping federal restrictions on hemp-derived THC products take effect.
The Senate approved the stopgap spending measure Saturday in a 90-6 vote, funding the federal government through Dec. 11. Buried inside the legislation is a provision that would delay implementation of key portions of a federal hemp crackdown originally scheduled to take effect Nov. 12.
The measure still needs approval from the House of Representatives and President Donald Trump’s signature before it becomes law.
For hemp companies that have spent the past year preparing for what many have described as an existential threat to the industry, the provision amounts to a temporary reprieve—but not a solution.
Under legislation enacted last year, the federal definition of hemp is set to change from a standard based primarily on delta-9 THC to one based on total THC, including THCA and other forms of THC. Finished hemp-derived cannabinoid products would also be subject to a limit of 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container.
Those restrictions are expected to eliminate a large portion of the intoxicating hemp market, including many of the gummies, beverages and other products that have proliferated since the 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp nationally.
The Senate spending bill would push the implementation date for most of those restrictions from Nov. 12 to Dec. 11.
That distinction is important. The legislation does not repeal the federal hemp restrictions or establish a permanent regulatory framework for hemp-derived THC. Instead, it gives lawmakers and the industry several additional weeks to find a longer-term solution.
Speaking exclusively via email to Cannabis Now, Morgan Tweet the CEO of IND Hemp response to this passage is pointed.
“After the drama surrounding a four week extension, we should be careful not to declare victory. Businesses will put every additional day to good use, but unless Congress immediately returns to the harder work of creating a permanent solution, this extension is barely a consolation prize.
The senators who opposed the extension are not fundamentally wrong about the need to protect children, remove noncompliant sellers and bring accountability to this marketplace. In fact, we now see them as some of the most important potential partners in building a lasting solution, one that replaces prohibition and uncertainty with smart rules, not a ban.
Congress has four more weeks. The goal cannot be another delay. It must be a comprehensive framework that protects consumers, gives responsible operators clear rules, opens markets for American farmers and preserves the future of industrial hemp. That is what the Goodness of Hemp campaign is working to deliver,” Morgan said.
The fight over the delay has exposed a growing divide in Washington over how the federal gov
