THC gummies and drinks face ban under government spending bill

An overlooked provision in the federal spending bill signed by President Trump could disrupt a booming industry, by ban many THC-infused products, such as gummies, drinks, topical pain relievers, and vaporizers, which are now found everywhere from gas stations to wellness stores.

Hemp, a derivative of the cannabis plant, was legalized in the 2018 Farm Bill. It created a loophole for THC to be sold in low doses and explode into the general consumer market.

The new ban included in the spending bill prohibits products containing more than 0.4 milligrams of THC per container.

Now, the hemp industry says the consequences will be devastating. The US Hemp Roundtable warns that the decision “threatens to wipe out the $28.4 billion U.S. hemp industry and jeopardize more than 300,000 American jobs.” The group estimates the measure would wipe out 95% of the market, shutter small businesses and farms across the country and cost states $1.5 billion in tax revenue.

Senator Rand Paul He offered an amendment to remove the language from the Senate bill, but the Senate voted overwhelmingly to introduce Paul’s amendment.

Paul said this “couldn’t come at a worse time for America’s farmers,” warning on the Senate floor that this will “eradicate the hemp industry.”

A hemp farmer named Stacy, who owns a company in Woodstock, Illinois, called the Washington Journal C-Span on Thursday to explain how this will devastate her business. She says the joint and muscle ointment she sells, which “doesn’t get anyone high, it’s a topical product,” would be banned by law.

“They sneak it in and crush the industry. My business is completely gone,” he said.

“I have a year to close this deal and no one is talking about the hundreds of thousands of people, farmers, processors, retailers. This will have incredible ripple effects throughout the economy.”

Supporters of the bill’s provision argue that it should have been passed a long time ago. Senator Mitch McConnell, ranking member of the Senate Agriculture and Appropriations Committees, maintains that companies have “exploited” that loophole “by taking legal amounts of THC from hemp and converting it into intoxicating substances.”

That sentiment is shared by dozens of attorneys general, who sent a letter to Congress last month, warning that the 2018 Farm Bill has been “unfairly exploited by bad actors to sell synthetic THC recreational products across the country.” The attorneys general argue that the loophole has fueled the “rapid growth of a poorly regulated industry that threatens public health and safety and undermines law enforcement across the country.”

However, the US Hemp Roundtable states that more than 90% of non-toxic hemp-derived products contain more than 0.4 milligrams per container. This means, the group says, seniors, veterans and others who depend on them for pain management or sleep. suddenly you would be violating federal law to obtain them… “disrupting their attention and leaving them struggling with potentially harmful alternatives.”