The government shutdown that's dragged on for more than a month could end soon after Senate Republicans and Democrats tentatively agreed on a deal for a new spending bill. Within that bill is a provision that could effectively kill the intoxicating hemp industry in the U.S.
Update: Congress Banned Hemp THC, but the Industry Still Has a Year to Fight It
The Senate still needs to move through the procedural votes before sending a finalized version of the bill to the House. And that process could be held up by Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, who wants language aimed at banning certain hemp products removed from the bill.
The Senate Appropriations Committee outlined the key takeaways of the 2026 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. One of them is a hemp products ban, which the committee said "prevents the unregulated sale of intoxicating hemp-based or hemp-derived products, including Delta-8, from being sold online, in gas stations, and corner stores, while preserving non-intoxicating CBD and industrial hemp products."
The language could largely dismantle the U.S. intoxicating hemp market, which has grown into a $28 billion industry that supports 329,000 American jobs and contributes $1.5 billion annually in tax revenue.
The bill still has a long way to go to get through the legislative branch to President Trump's desk. But it took a major step forward this weekend and that's left many in the U.S. hemp industry expressing their concerns.
Cornbread Hemp Co-Founder Jim Higdon called it a "dark day" for anyone who hopes the country will someday reclassify cannabis as a less dangerous drug.
"If we can’t keep full spectrum CBD products legal, then the future of cannabis reform seems even more distant with an emboldened alcohol industry that now has a proven playbook for killing cannabis,” he said in a statement.
Thomas Winstanley, executive vice president and general manager at Edibles.com, put the blame on U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell, who he said "sowed the hemp seeds, and now seeks to scorch the soil, salting the fields of his own harvest."
"For months, industry and agricultural groups have been calling for...safety regulations, not prohibition. But banning legitimate hemp products won’t stop bad actors, it will only drive the market underground and further erode consumer safety," he said in a statement. "Hemp was meant to be a stabilizer — a modern crop for a modern economy. From Colonial America through World War II, hemp was a foundational American crop, woven into the fabric of our economy and our identity. Now Congress faces a choice: repeat the mistakes of prohibition or create a rational regulatory framework that ensures product safety, protects consumers, and preserves the economic promise of hemp. It’s time for Congress to stop one man’s reversal and stand up for the people, the farmers, and the freedom this industry represents."
