Hemp Industry Under Attack On Federal Level

Fri, May 24, 2024 By: CIF

Hemp-Killing Amendment Passed in the House Ag Committee

On Thursday May 23, 2024, an amendment passed the House Agriculture Committee that would change the definition of hemp. The new definition would federally ban all ingestible hemp products with any level of THC. It would also ban all non-intoxicating CBD products that have any measurable amount of THC. This means 90-95% of hemp products would be banned across the country.

Big Marijuana Is Battling Against Hemp

The amendment was put forth by Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL). It was built on proposals from large marijuana companies that are Multi-State Operators (MSOs). In short, big marijuana companies (and big pharmaceutical companies) are threatened by federally legal hemp products. To try and control the entire cannabis market in the U.S., these big marijuana companies are pushing against hemp in The Farm Bill. Right now, hemp states like Tennessee allow legacy cannabis growers and small businesses to thrive. Most hemp businesses are happy to operate in the hemp space while simultaneously working toward full legalization of marijuana. Unfortunately, big Multi-State Operator marijuana companies want to dominate the market by wiping out the hemp industry.

The Amendment's Road to Becoming Law

This amendment has a long way to go before it can become a law. It passed in the Agriculture Committee, but now it will go to the full House of Representatives. If the House passes it, the Senate would also need to approve the Farm Bill with this amendment. The Senate hasn't revealed their version of the Farm Bill yet. While it’s unlikely, the amendment could pass in the next two months and become law in October. However, the hemp industry has supporters in both the House and the Senate who will work to help stop this harmful amendment.

Help us defeat the hemp-killing amendment!

We’re up against powerful marijuana and pharmaceutical companies. We need everyone to speak up and pressure Congress to save the Hemp industry. Please email your representative and ask them to vote against the Farm Bill unless the Mary Miller Amendment is removed. U.S. Hemp Roundtable has made it easy to email your Congressman. Check it out here: https://hempsupporter.com/bill/urgent-hemp-killing-amendment-filed-for-farm-bill-contact-your-member-of-congress-today-to-defeat-it/