Shutdown deal includes ban on hemp-derived THC products
November 15, 2025
THIS INCIDENT. A LIVE LOOK FROM THE NATION’S CAPITAL TONIGHT, THE CONTINUING RESOLUTION, SIGNED BY PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP REOPENED THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. IT ALSO CONTAINED A LAST MINUTE PROVISION THAT REDEFINES INDUSTRIAL HEMP. IT ALSO EXCLUDES ANY INTERMEDIATE HEMP DERIVED CANNABIS PRODUCTS CONTAINING A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF THC. THAT’S THE PSYCHOACTIVE CHEMICAL IN CANNABIS. CRITICS SAY IT WILL MAKE LIFE HARDER FOR MEDICAL CANNABIS USERS, BUT OTHERS ARGUE THE PRODUCTS PUT MINORS AT RISK. THE PROVISION IS EXPECTED TO HAVE AN IMPACT ON LOCAL BUSINESSES ACROSS OUR REGION. KCRA 3’S CORTEZ HAS MORE. A MAJOR SHIFT IN THE CANNABIS MARKETPLACE AS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, MOVING FORWARD WITH A NATIONWIDE BAN ON CERTAIN HEMP DERIVED THC PRODUCTS. THE MOVE, TUCKED INTO THE NEWLY PASSED SPENDING BILL, WOULD PROHIBIT PRODUCTS CONTAINING MORE THAN 0.4MG OF THC PER CONTAINER STARTING NEXT YEAR. IT’S MEANT TO TARGET UNREGULATED GUMMIES AND DRINKS, PRODUCT LAWMAKERS SAYS HAVE FUELED A SURGE IN CHILD POISONINGS. LITTLE DO KIDS KNOW THESE PRODUCTS ARE LACED WITH INTOXICATING. SYNTHETIC CHEMICALS. HEMP DERIVED THC, CBD. IT COULD BE GROWN HERE IN AMERICA. IT COULD BE GROWN IN CANADA, IT COULD BE GROWN IN CHINA. IN SACRAMENTO, DISPENSARY SHOP OWNER SAM FERREIRA SAYS THE CRACKDOWN COULD ACTUALLY HELP HIS BUSINESS. IF YOU GET CANNABIS DERIVED ONES LIKE YOU GET AT DISPENSARIES, YOU KNOW THAT IT’S BEEN LAB TESTED. THERE’S NO HEAVY METALS, THERE’S NO PESTICIDES. WHAT THE FUTURE OF HEMP BASED THC PRODUCTS NOW IN LIMBO. HEMP GROWER JUSTIN EVE SAYS HE SAW THIS COMING. IT SHOULD BE REGULATED LIKE AN AGRICULTURE CROP, AND IT SHOULD BE CLEAR ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE ARE GROWING FOR. EVE GROWS HEMP FOR OTHER PURPOSES, BUT SAYS THE THC EXTRACTS WERE OPERATED IN A GRAY ZONE. WHAT I’D REALLY LIKE TO SEE IS A PROPER UNDERSTANDING AND REGULATION ACROSS THE BOARD. IF IT’S A FARM, AGRICULTURE COMMODITY, THEN THAT’S DEALT WITH FARMING. AND IF PEOPLE ARE TURNING IT INTO AN INTOXICANT OR A DRUG, THEN THAT’S ONE ASPECT. IF IT’S A DIETARY SUPPLEMENT, THAT’S ANOTHER. YOU MAY EVEN SEE SOME DRINKS THAT ARE CBD DRINKS. BUT AGAIN, AS LONG AS THEY’RE CANNABIS DERIVED, YOU KNOW THAT THEY’VE BEEN LAB TESTED, REGULATED. THE TAXES, STAY LOCAL, THE SUPPLY CHAIN IS LOCAL AND KEEPS IT WITHIN THE STATE, AS OPPOSED TO HEMP, WHERE YOU KNOW THE IT, IT’S GOING TO BE A LOT MORE IMPACTED. YOU’RE GOING TO THAT’S THE ONE THAT’S GOING TO BE A LOT MORE. ESSENTIALLY REMOVED. THAT IS THE BAND IS GOING TO AFFECT MORE THE HEMP SIDE IN SACRAMENTO DENSON CORTEZ KCRA THREE NEWS. SINCE THEN, THE INDUSTRY HAS GROWN
Shutdown deal includes ban on hemp-derived THC products
Congress includes ban on hemp-derived THC products that could eliminate THC gummies and drinks
Updated: 10:01 PM PST Nov 15, 2025
The federal government is implementing a nationwide ban on most hemp-derived THC products as part of a newly passed spending bill. The law will prohibit products containing more than 0.4 milligrams of THC per container starting next year.Experts say this could wipe out a large part of the estimated $28 billion hemp retail market. Lawmakers say the ban targets unregulated gummies and drinks, which have fueled a rise in child poisonings.”Little do kids know, these products are laced with intoxicating synthetic chemicals,” said Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.The new cap replaces the 2018 Farm Bill’s definition of hemp, which allowed products with less than 0.3% THC by weight. In Sacramento, dispensary owner Sam Ferreira said the crackdown could benefit his business.”If you get cannabis-derived products from dispensaries, you know they’ve been lab tested. There are no heavy metals, no pesticides. Consumers, especially medical users, want to make sure they have the cleanest products available,” Ferreira said.The crackdown represents a major shift from 2018, when McConnell pushed for hemp legalization to boost Kentucky’s economy. After that bill passed, the lack of federal regulations allowed a “gray-like” market to develop, resulting in safety problems.McConnell and other Republicans say the new restriction “restores the original intent” of the Farm Bill and closes a loophole, before his planned retirement next year. Hemp grower Justin Eve said there should be clear regulations for a growing industry.”It should be regulated like an agriculture crop, and it should be clear what people are growing for,” he said. Eve grows hemp for other organic purposes, but said THC extracts operated in a gray area. “What I’d really like to see is proper understanding and regulation across the board. If it’s a farm commodity, then that’s dealt with farming. If people are turning it into an intoxicant or a drug, that’s another matter. If it’s a dietary supplement, that’s another.”Ferreira added that cannabis-derived products, such as CBD drinks, are lab tested and regulated, keeping the supply chain local and taxes in-state. By contrast, the ban will primarily affect hemp-derived THC products, leaving that side of the industry more exposed.
The federal government is implementing a nationwide ban on most hemp-derived THC products as part of a newly passed spending bill. The law will prohibit products containing more than 0.4 milligrams of THC per container starting next year.
Experts say this could wipe out a large part of the estimated $28 billion hemp retail market. Lawmakers say the ban targets unregulated gummies and drinks, which have fueled a rise in child poisonings.
“Little do kids know, these products are laced with intoxicating synthetic chemicals,” said Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
The new cap replaces the 2018 Farm Bill’s definition of hemp, which allowed products with less than 0.3% THC by weight.
In Sacramento, dispensary owner Sam Ferreira said the crackdown could benefit his business.
“If you get cannabis-derived products from dispensaries, you know they’ve been lab tested. There are no heavy metals, no pesticides. Consumers, especially medical users, want to make sure they have the cleanest products available,” Ferreira said.
The crackdown represents a major shift from 2018, when McConnell pushed for hemp legalization to boost Kentucky’s economy. After that bill passed, the lack of federal regulations allowed a “gray-like” market to develop, resulting in safety problems.
McConnell and other Republicans say the new restriction “restores the original intent” of the Farm Bill and closes a loophole, before his planned retirement next year.
Hemp grower Justin Eve said there should be clear regulations for a growing industry.
“It should be regulated like an agriculture crop, and it should be clear what people are growing for,” he said. Eve grows hemp for other organic purposes, but said THC extracts operated in a gray area. “What I’d really like to see is proper understanding and regulation across the board. If it’s a farm commodity, then that’s dealt with farming. If people are turning it into an intoxicant or a drug, that’s another matter. If it’s a dietary supplement, that’s another.”
Ferreira added that cannabis-derived products, such as CBD drinks, are lab tested and regulated, keeping the supply chain local and taxes in-state. By contrast, the ban will primarily affect hemp-derived THC products, leaving that side of the industry more exposed.
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