On Joe Rogan, a Republican senator described how alcohol interests and segments of the state-legal cannabis industry aligned to push back against hemp-derived THC.
For years, the crackdown on hemp-derived THC products has been framed as a matter of consumer safety. Products too strong. Rules too loose. Markets moving faster than regulators.
Also read: America Cards You for Beer. So Why Can’t It Card for Hemp-THC?
Last week, on one of the most widely watched podcasts in the world, a sitting U.S. senator described a different dynamic at play.
Appearing on The Joe Rogan Experience, Rand Paul said the push to effectively ban most consumable hemp THC products was driven not only by lawmakers, but also by lobbying pressure from the alcohol industry and segments of the state-legal cannabis industry itself.
The exchange was first reported by Marijuana Moment, and it caught Rogan visibly off guard.
A conflict between legal markets
Paul was describing how restrictive hemp language was added to a must-pass federal spending bill signed into law in November. While he attempted to block the provision, it ultimately advanced, setting the stage for a sweeping crackdown on hemp-derived THC products.
When Rogan asked who was behind the push, Paul was direct.
“There was a little bit of the alcohol lobby and the cannabis lobby,” he said. “The cannabis people hate the hemp people.”
Paul then explained why that tension exists.
“The cannabis industry developed state by state,” he said. “You really can’t make a marijuana product in Colorado and sell it in Kentucky. It can’t go across state lines.”
Hemp, by contrast, was federally legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill. That distinction allowed hemp-derived THC products to be sold and shipped across state lines, including into states where marijuana remains federally illegal.
“The hemp, because …
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Author: Javier Hasse / High Times
