BUCKHANNON, W.Va (WDTV) – A provision tucked into last month’s government spending bill could force local hemp businesses to close, affecting what has become a billion-dollar industry.

The spending bill that reopened the government included language that would make many hemp-derived products illegal. The provision closes a loophole in the 2018 Farm Bill that legalized certain hemp products.

Riley Queen, owner of Moon Flower cannabis shop in Buckhannon, said the news was devastating for her business.

“When we saw this, we were absolutely devastated. We’ve put our hearts and time and energy into really transforming the way we medicate we socialize and look at a plant,” Queen said.

Queen opened Moon Flower’s storefront in 2023, building on a hemp farm she started in Upshur County in 2019 with her mother and sister. The 27-year-old West Virginia Wesleyan graduate was inspired by the 2018 Farm Bill to enter the industry.

Moon Flower sells seed-to-sale hemp products, including hemp-infused snacks, beverages, lotions and dog treats.

“In the 11th hour, [Congress] snuck this hemp bill into something that had absolutely nothing to do with agriculture, with cannabis, with farming, anything,” Queen said. “And it was hard for us as a business to have zero time to educate, to lobby, or represent the industry in any sort of positive way. So now we have a year grace period where we’re trying to change that in some way, either at a state level or at a federal level.”

Queen has scheduled a meeting with senators next week at Moon Flower. Her sister and Moon Flower co-owner Macie Queen will join the lobbying efforts.

“Hemp and cannabis, it’s not just about things that you smoke. It’s not just about the psychoactive effects that come along with ingesting and consuming cannabis,” Macie Queen said. “Our CBD gummies, one of our best sellers. These are completely non-psychoactive and can be used for so many things.”

Macie Queen said the products help seniors, construction workers, anxious parents and people with chronic pain and illnesses, including cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

The business has one year to advocate for changes at the state or federal level before the provision takes effect by November 2026.

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