Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers sent a letter to every member of Wisconsin’s Congressional delegation urging immediate legislative action to revise the new federal hemp law, which banned the sale of most hemp products in the U.S. starting in November 2026 and was passed as part of the plan to reopen the federal government last year after the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history. Without immediate action, the new federal hemp law is projected to jeopardize $700 million in economic impact and nearly 3,500 jobs in Wisconsin, as well as the growing sector of legitimate hemp businesses and producers across the state.
The new federal definition sets the legal limit of THC in final hemp-derived cannabinoid products at 0.4 milligrams per container, ultimately causing many existing lawful products to be reclassified in a manner that effectively eliminates existing business models, forcing closures, layoffs, and lost investment. The impacts of the new federal hemp bill will be further intensified in Wisconsin due to the fact that Wisconsin has not yet legalized medical or recreational marijuana, despite multiple attempts by Gov. Evers to do so.
The agricultural impacts of this new regulation in Wisconsin are equally concerning. The growing of hemp has become a strong diversification option for Wisconsin farmers, and as of November 2025, Wisconsin had 470 federally licensed hemp producers. Without timely federal legislative action, Wisconsin producers may be forced to abandon hemp cultivation altogether, resulting in lost income and diminished economic opportunities, especially in rural communities.
In his letter, Gov. Evers urges Wisconsin’s Congressional delegation to work with their congressional colleagues to pursue a legislative solution that maintains a workable, science-based hemp definition that prevents unnecessary economic harm.
A copy of the governors’ letter to Wisconsin’s Congressional delegation is available here.
