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A Republican-controlled House subcommittee has voted to back a bill that makes most hemp-derived cannabinoid products, including edibles, illegal at the federal level.
On Thursday, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies endorsed the 138-page bill in a 9-7 vote.
Newsweek contacted Republican Representative Andy Harris of Maryland, the subcommittee’s chair, for comment on Friday via email outside regular office hours.
Why It Matters
During the first Trump administration, the 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp—a weaker form of cannabis containing a maximum of 0.3 percent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)—on the federal level. Hemp production exploded by 445 percent in the first year, according to the advocacy group Vote Hemp.
If passed, the subcommittee-backed bill would largely reverse this move, which one hemp company said would “destroy the entire American hemp industry.”
Products containing full spectrum cannabidiol from R and R Medicinals on the shelf of a boutique retail store in Denver on August 9, 2020.
Products containing full spectrum cannabidiol from R and R Medicinals on the shelf of a boutique retail store in Denver on August 9, 2020.
Smith Collection/Gado/GETTY
What To Know
The bill would redefine hemp to prohibit any product containing “quantifiable” levels of THC or tetrahydrocannabinolic acid, a precursor to THC.
It would also ban cannabinoids that have effects “similar to THC” or are marketed as such, with exemptions for FDA-approved medications such as Epidiolex.
Hemp’s federal legalization would apply to products such as grains, oil, nuts, fiber and some edible leaves but not cannabinoid products.
Under current law, hemp products are allowed as long as they don’t contain more than 0.3 percent THC by dry weight.
A similar measure was attached to the 2024 Farm Bill following an amendment from Republican Representative Mary Miller of Illinois, but it was not passed into law.
In November, voters in Nebraska supported the legalization of medical marijuana, while an attempt to legalize marijuana for recreational use failed to reach the 60 percent threshold in Florida.
The following month, Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick endorsed a bill introduced to the state Legislature banning the sale of “all forms of consumable Tetrahydrocannabinol.”
What People Are Saying
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies said in a statement: “[The bill] supports the Trump Administration and mandate of the American people by … closing the hemp loophole that has resulted in the proliferation of unregulated intoxicating hemp products, including Delta-8 and hemp flower, being sold online and in gas stations across the country.”
Jim Higdon, a co-founder of Cornbread Hemp, told the publication Marijuana Movement: “If this amendment becomes law, it will destroy the entire American hemp industry and set back a decade’s worth of progress to fully legalize cannabis. Democrats and Republicans who believe in freedom should oppose Representative Harris’ attack on American hemp farmers.”
Aaron Smith, the CEO of the National Cannabis Industry Association, said in a news release: “Hemp-derived THC products are already widely available across the country. Despite legislators’ intent, this budget provision won’t change that fact, but it will ensure these products are made and sold without oversight, delivering a big win to the drug cartels at the expense of public health and safety.
“Congress should empower federal agencies to regulate these products responsibly, not double down on prohibitionist policies that have already proven to be failures both in practice and in the court of public opinion.”
Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America, which described the bill as “overly broad” and “troublesome,” said in an email to supporters: “In the absence of a robust federal regulatory system, states have been filling the void by passing comprehensive legislation to regulate intoxicating hemp and protect public health and safety within their borders. … Adoption of the current language contained in this bill would undermine those state actions and do nothing to eliminate bad actors who irresponsibly market potentially harmful products.”
What Happens Next
It is unclear what attitude the Trump administration will take toward the proposed legislation. A similar measure pursued by a Republican lawmaker in 2024 was not passed into law.
“}]] One hemp company said the proposal would “destroy the entire American hemp industry.” Read More
