Bipartisan Senators Push To Delay Federal Hemp THC Product Ban As Lawmakers Consider Regulatory Alternatives To Prohibition
Missouri Lawmakers Weigh Bills To Match New Federal Hemp Restrictions In State Law
Home Cultivation Of Marijuana Would Be Legalized In New Jersey Under Lawmakers’ Proposals
Trump’s Marijuana Rescheduling Move Could Boost South Carolina Medical Cannabis Bill, GOP Lawmaker Says
Senate Sends Trump Bill That Would Continue Protecting Medical Marijuana States, Without Anti-Rescheduling Provisions
More Than A Third Of Rap And Hip Hop Music Videos Feature Marijuana, Government-Funded Study Shows
CBD Has ‘Substantial Promise’ To Combat Tumors From Cancer, Scientific Review Shows
Marijuana Users Are Being Unjustly Jailed For Allegedly Driving Under The Influence, Government-Funded Study Shows
California Officials Award $30 Million In Marijuana Revenue To Support Research On THC Drinks, Terpenes And Tribal Cannabis Sales
Medical Marijuana Use Is ‘Prevalent’ Among People With Disabilities—And It Helps Treat Pain, New Federally Funded Study Shows
State Marijuana Regulators Share Tips On How To Stay Safe And Legal Around The Holidays
One In Three Americans ‘Pre-Game’ With Marijuana Before Family Holiday Gatherings, Survey Finds
As More Americans Choose Marijuana Over Alcohol, Mainstream Media Notices The ‘Cousin Walk’ Thanksgiving Tradition
Joe Rogan Slams ‘Really Bad’ Federal Hemp Ban Trump Signed, Blaming Alcohol Industry For Influencing Congress
New Netflix Documentary Shows How Psychedelics Help Military Veterans Heal Trauma
Pre-Rolls Are A Key Driver Of The Cannabis Retail Market’s Success (Op-Ed)
Massachusetts Hits $10 Billion Marijuana Sales Milestone, With Top Official Saying Consumption Lounges Will Bolster Industry In 2026
Ohio Dispensaries Sold More Than $1 Billion Worth Of Legal Marijuana In 2025
Marijuana Consumers Are More Likely To Shop At Target Following Decision To Sell Cannabis-Infused Drinks, Poll Shows
Marijuana Company Sues DoorDash, Total Wine And Others Over Alleged Illegal Sales Of Hemp THC Products
GOP senators try to stop Trump’s cannabis rescheduling (Newsletter: January 16, 2026)
Ohio AG rejects cannabis referendum ballot petition (Newsletter: January 15, 2026)
Federal hemp THC ban would be delayed for two years under new bill (Newsletter: January 14, 2026)
Congress moves to keep blocking cannabis sales in DC (Newsletter: January 13, 2026)
DOJ won’t delay cannabis rescheduling, GOP congressman says (Newsletter: January 12, 2026)
Published
on
By
A bipartisan group of senators is pushing to give the hemp industry two more years before a federal ban on THC products would take effect, which stakeholders hope will better position them to negotiate a broader compromise with lawmakers.
After President Donald Trump signed a spending bill last year with provisions that would wipe out a prominent sector of the hemp economy, businesses and advocates were quick to call for at least delaying its implementation. The law is currently set to become effective this November.
Now, Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Rand Paul (R-KY) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) have filed new legislation that would push that timeline back by another two years, giving hemp interests additional time to make their case that the policy would significantly harm the industry that was legalized during Trump’s first term under the 2018 Farm Bill.
The measure, titled the Hemp Planting Predictability Act, simply states that “Section 781 of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agency Appropriations Act, 2026 (7 U.S.C. 1639o note; Public Law 119–37), is amended, in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking ‘365 days’ and inserting ‘3 years.’
Rep. Jim Baird (R-IN) and bipartisan cosponsors filed similar legislation to delay the hemp ban in the House earlier this week.
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY), who is cosponsoring that proposal, appeared at a press conference on Thursday alongside farmers who are concerned about the looming federal hemp ban’s impact on their businesses.
For what it’s worth, four in five marijuana consumers say they oppose the recriminalization of hemp THC products under the spending bill Trump signed in November. However, it should be noted that that poll was conducted weeks before he issued a cannabis rescheduling order and took steps to protect access to full-spectrum CBD.
Trump signed an executive order last month directing the attorney general to complete the process of moving marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).
Part of that announcement also hold implications for the forthcoming hemp law. The president’s order also urged Congress to examine updating the definition of hemp to ensure that full-spectrum CBD is accessible to patients.
A further redefinition of hemp would be part of a novel proposal to allow Medicare recipients to access non-intoxicating CBD that’d be covered under the federal health care plan.
To effectuate that, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will be announcing “a model that will allow a number of CMS beneficiaries to benefit from receiving CBD under doctor recommendation at no cost,” a White House official said during a briefing that Marijuana Moment first reported leaked details from ahead of the signing event.
Trump seemed endorse a more flexible CBD policy last summer when he shared a video calling for that specific reform while promoting the health benefits of cannabidiol, particularly for seniors.
Meanwhile, a separate recently filed Republican-led congressional bill would stop the implementation of the hemp ban under the enacted appropriations legislation.
Hemp businesses and industry groups have warned about the potential ramifications of the ban, but despite his support for states’ rights for cannabis and a recent social media post touting the benefits of CBD, Trump signed the underlying spending measure into law without acknowledging the hemp provisions.
GOP political operative Roger Stone said recently that Trump was effectively “forced” by Republican lawmakers to sign the spending bill with the hemp THC ban language.
However, a White House spokesperson said prior to the bill signing that Trump specifically supported the prohibition language.
The Democratic governor of Kentucky said that the hemp industry is an “important” part of the economy that deserves to be regulated at the state level—rather than federally prohibited, as Congress has moved to do.
Also, a leading veterans organization is warning congressional leaders that the newly approved blanket ban on consumable hemp products could inadvertently “slam the door shut” on critical research.
—
Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.
Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.
—
Since 2018, cannabis products have been considered legal hemp if they contain less than 0.3 percent delta-9 THC on a dry weight basis.
The new legislation specifies that, within one year of enactment, the weight will apply to total THC—including delta-8 and other isomers. It will also include “any other cannabinoids that have similar effects (or are marketed to have similar effects) on humans or animals as a tetrahydrocannabinol (as determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services).”
The new definition of legal hemp will additionally ban “any intermediate hemp-derived cannabinoid products which are marketed or sold as a final product or directly to an end consumer for personal or household use” as well as products containing cannabinoids that are synthesized or manufactured outside of the cannabis plant or not capable of being naturally produced by it.
Legal hemp products will be limited to a total of 0.4 milligrams per container of total THC or any other cannabinoids with similar effects.
Within 90 days of the bill’s enactment, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other agencies will need to publish list of “all cannabinoids known to FDA to be capable of being naturally produced by a Cannabis sativa L. plant, as reflected in peer reviewed literature,” “all tetrahydrocannabinol class cannabinoids known to the agency to be naturally occurring in the plant” and “all other known cannabinoids with similar effects to, or marketed to have similar effects to, tetrahyrocannabinol class cannabinoids.”
The language slightly differs from provisions included in legislation that had previously advanced out of the House and Senate Appropriations panels, which would have banned products containing any “quantifiable” amount of THC, to be determined by the HHS secretary and secretary of agriculture.
Read the full text of the Senate hemp bill below:
Tom Angell is the editor of Marijuana Moment. A 25-year veteran in the cannabis and drug law reform movement, he covers the policy and politics of marijuana, psychedelics and other substances. He previously reported for Forbes, Marijuana.com and MassRoots, and was given the Hunter S. Thompson Media Award by NORML and has been named Journalist of the Year by Americans for Safe Access. As an activist, Tom founded the nonprofit Marijuana Majority and handled media relations, campaigns and lobbying for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition and Students for Sensible Drug Policy.
Add Marijuana Moment as a preferred source on Google.
All the cannabis news you need, all in one place. Copyright © 2017-2026 Marijuana Moment LLC ® and Tom Angell
