The government might reopen. But only if Congress agrees to something else first: banning intoxicating hemp nationwide.
On Sunday, Senate leadership inserted a hemp-recriminalization clause into the must-pass funding bill that would end the longest shutdown in American history, reported Marijuana Moment. On Monday, Cannabis Business Times confirmed that intoxicating hemp is being targeted as part of the three-bill spending package tied to reopening the government.
Not a standalone bill. Not a debate on cannabis reform. A shutdown ransom note.
What the bill actually does
The hemp language appears in the Agriculture–FDA spending bill, which is bundled into the shutdown deal. It would:
Redefine hemp to include total THC, not just delta-9 THC
Count any cannabinoids with “similar effects” toward that THC total
Prohibit synthesized cannabinoids or converted CBD intermediates
Cap finished hemp products at 0.4 milligrams total THC per container
Not 0.4 mg per gummy. Per entire bottle, bag, vape, beverage.
That wipes out full-spectrum tinctures, hemp seltzers, delta-8 anything and even most CBD oils.
Jim Higdon, cofounder of Cornbread Hemp, told Marijuana Moment:
“The .4mg limit will make 100% of Cornbread Hemp products illegal.”
He added:
“This is a dark day for anyone who hopes for a future when cannabis is descheduled in America.”
Mitch McConnell’s U-turn
Senator Mitch McConnell pushed the 2018 Farm Bill that legalized hemp. Now he is pushing to shut down the intoxicating hemp market.
He said:
“My 2018 hemp bill sought to create an agricultural hemp industry, not open the door to the sale of unregulated, intoxicating, lab-made, hemp-derived substances with no safety framework.”
Thomas Winstanley, EVP and general manager of Edibles.com, responded in a statement sent to High Times:
“Senator Mitch McConnell, architect of the 2018 Farm Bill, sowed the hemp seeds, and now seeks to scorch the soil, salting the fields of his own …
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Author: Javier Hasse / High Times
