https://apnews.com/article/hemp-marijuana-cannabis-thc-mcconnell-a6f2a02b40c7c5d33d99c84f3221e93fIn a commercial kitchen outside Raleigh, North Carolina, Nicholas Hohns spreads a blue-green goo into a gridded mold, making one of his company’s signature products: potent THC gummies, featuring the primary intoxicating compound found in marijuana.It’s a business he might soon have to give up. America’s multibillion-dollar market for impairing hemp products — from THC seltzers sold at some Target stores to smokable cannabis flowers, and different from the regulated legal marijuana industry — faces potential elimination after Congress voted to close a loophole in federal law that has allowed it to flourish.Advocates for the industry, along with some lawmakers, are fighting to save it. The short-term government-funding bill signed by President Donald Trump last month delayed the effective date of the “hemp THC ban” from Nov. 12 to Dec. 11, giving Congress more time to consider regulating the products rather than banning them.“It’s such a weird spot to be in,” said Hohns. “You worked 100 hours a week for the past four years, and, yeah, you made some money. But now you might have nothing to show for it.”
Sen. Mitch McConnell closed a loophole in the hemp law he championedMarijuana and hemp are the same plant — cannabis. Marijuana is cultivated for high levels of THC in its flowers. Low-THC hemp has historically been grown for its sturdy fibers, food or wellness products. “Rope, not dope” was long the motto of farmers who supported legalizing hemp.To give farmers a new cash crop, Kentucky Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell successfully pushed the legalization of industrial hemp in the 2018 farm bill.But the way that law defined hemp — as having less than 0.3% of a specific type of THC, called delta-9, by weight — opened a huge loophole. Beverages or snacks could meet that threshold and still contain more than enough THC to get people high.Vape oil, gummy candies, chips, sodas and other unregulated, untested products laden with hemp-derived THC spread around the country, including in gas stations or convenience stores, where they were available even to teens. Some businesses started selling marijuana under the theory that raw marijuana’s THC is in a form called THC-A, which only turns into impairing delta-9 when heated or burned.The products evaded state prohibitions on recreational weed or undercut heavily taxed and regulated cannabis where it is legal.Dozens of states responded by regulating or banning impairing hemp products. McConnell finally closed the loophole late last year by inserting a hemp THC ban into a measure that ended the longest government shutdown in history.The ban, which limits the amount of THC in hemp products to 0.4 milligrams per container, wouldn’t take effect for a year.
An industry tries to save itselfThe ban “threatens to reduce retail revenues by $28.3 billion, displacing 225,000 jobs and reducing state sales tax potential by $2.1 billion,” according to a report last month from Whitney Economics, which studies the market.The industry hopes to save itself by restricting impairing products to people 21 and older, limiting how much THC can be in a package, and banning imported cannabis compounds.The owners of Kentucky’s Cornbread Hemp, Eric Zipperle and Jim Higdon, are prepared to cap their products at, say, 5 milligrams if that’s what it takes to win support from lawmakers. But the 0.4 milligram limit would destroy their business, they said.“If it goes through in December, this place is toast — it’s gone,” Zipperle said.They have 105 employees, sell hemp beverages in 18 states and expect to bring in $65 million this year.The 0.4-milligram cap is so low that it would ban even some non-impairing CBD products, such as topical lotions, said Jonathan Miller, general counsel of the industry group U.S. Hemp Roundtable.Some consider other workHohns, who runs Deutermann Farms in Clayton, North Carolina, entered the hemp industry after losing his job as a personal trainer during the COVID-19 pandemic. North Carolina has not legalized either medical or recreational marijuana, but many of the edibles Hohns makes are more potent than what’s available in states that have.“When I started seeing THC edibles being sold … I was like, I got 18 months to two years to make money in this industry,” Hohns said. “No way is the government just going to sit here and let us do this when this was supposed to be for fiber, plastics, building materials, rope.”That was more than four years ago. Hohns kept his capital investments minimal, fearing a shutdown. He has considered making other products, such as creatine gummies, if he has to get out of the hemp THC business.
Things have been more stressful for others. Drinkin’ Buds, a cannabis beverage company in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, has mothballed production. Co-founder Matt Swanson took himself off the payroll on Thursday.“There’s just so much uncertainty,” Swanson said. “I’m actively looking for employment.”Allies and opponents line upAmong those who have come to the defense of the hemp industry are alcohol retailers, including Total Wine & More. Sales of cannabis seltzers have helped offset falling alcohol sales.Opponents include people who say the products are dangerous.“I have sympathy for people losing their jobs, but I also have sympathy for the many, many more people whose lives are affected by this,” said Kevin Sabet, CEO of Smart Approaches to Marijuana.The regulated legal marijuana industry, which sees hemp THC as unfair competition, also supports the ban. Cory Harris, a lobbyist for state-legal cannabis operators, suggested that dire predictions about its effect on the intoxicating hemp industry are overstated.While the ban would end interstate sales of products like THC seltzers and gummies, some could find a home in legal in-state markets, he said. It’s possible THC drinks could be sold at stores in the states where they were produced. States like North Carolina could adopt legal hemp programs.“If you go from having virtually no rules to suddenly having an awful lot of rules, that’s a buzzkill,” Harris said. “Welcome to our world. But if you establish your whole business within a legally questionable loophole, that’s just sort of the risk you take.”___
>>1541299Good.
>>1541306Big fan of the cartels, I take it?
>>1541310Big fan of not drugging the population. >But criminals will do it!Yes, and?
>>1541314typical liberal, trying to cheat and make sure the GOP can never be elected again
Why can’t we just legalize it already?Its fucking retarded that you can drink till you vomit and still show up for work the next day with no questions, but random drug tests are still a thing
>>1541319Because Mitch McConnell said so.
>>1541317Are you retarded? It's illegal in southern states because voters want it to be.
>>1541323According to whom?
>>1541299good now legalize cannabis if you want the hemp cunts to make profit.
>>1541314> Look, people are going to do drugs either way. Why not just let the cartel take the profits? Ă“rale, Hector
>>1541325That's how representative democracy works.
>>1541331>Look, people are going to do drugs either wayMy nails grow either way, why cut them? >Let the cartels make the profits No
>>1541321chuck schumer never bought it up for a vote cause he wanted to grift on the cannabis issue for a decadehttps://x.com/SenSchumer/status/987327301875650561Chuck Schumer@SenSchumerTHREAD: It’s official. Today, I am formally announcing my plan to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level. It’s time we allow states, once and for all, to have the power to decide what works best for them.9:49 AM · Apr 20, 2018Chuck Schumer@SenSchumer·Apr 20, 2018I have long believed that states should function as their own laboratories of democracy. My bill is a step in the right direction aimed at removing the barriers to state legalization efforts.Chuck Schumer@SenSchumer·Apr 20, 2018So why have I changed my stance? Looking at the numbers helped. 2/3 of Americans believe marijuana should be legalized, meanwhile more than half of all drug arrests in the United States are marijuana arrests. (https://aclu.org/gallery/marijuana-arrests-numbers)
>It's illegal in southern states because voters want it to be.Southerners want it to be illegal because its an easy crime to lock up nonwhites and force them into slavery againSoutherners don't have good ideas, you don't have to listen to them about anything. If they had good ideas the south wouldn't be a massive shithole
>>1541337>If they had good ideas the south wouldn't be a massive shitholeYeah, that's why millions have left blue states for the south.
>>1541338blue stats are well known for government aid fraud just look at minnesota. parasite states should be destroyed.
>>1541332I doubt what you said was true. I know for a fact that a majority of Florida voters favored legalization, but DeSantis raised the threshold for passing the referendum to 60%.https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2024/11/05/amendment-3-initiative-seeking-to-legalize-recreational-marijuana-ends-in-defeat/
>>1541335This has nothing to do with Schumer. Read the op story.>Sen. Mitch McConnell closed a loophole in the hemp law he championed
>>1541338And those states only got shittier as more republicans moved there
>>1541339>I saw it on twitter so it must be truelmao
>>1541343No, MIGA wants us to be angry that the trash took itself out, and miss their shitty contributions to society like supporting pedophiles and destroying America.
>>1541341read the comment i replied to the guy was wondering why cannabis/hemp wasn't already legalized.
>>1541343>>1541345>Libs from blue states move to the south>Automatically get called maga Lol.
>>1541338>Yeah, that's why millions have left blue states for the south.For the red areas of the south or for the blue cities?
>>1541347If you voted for Trump in every election, you were never a lib
>>1541348Oh that's some delicious cope. Yeah bud, it's the blue cities that pass the laws and policy that results in low taxes, high economic growth and cheap housing.
>>1541349liberals aren't automatically democrats you rat
>>1541340And spent money earmarked for sick kids to do it.Of course, everyone involved in that chain had amnesia, so no one got in trouble for it.
>>1541349The millions who have fled blue states to the South because that's where jobs are, are all trump voters? HUGE if true. Link?
>>1541354Based. Druggies btfo (again).
>>1541353that's like saying some republicans aren't MAGA(protip: MAGA doesn't believe this)
>>1541353Anyone who voted for Trump is not a democrat
>>1541348Its MIGA morons leaving blue states for red shitholes because they believed MIGA copium, then they move back to blue states after realizing what a shithole red states are. https://www.yahoo.com/news/conservative-latino-family-regretful-moving-220056774.html?guccounter=1Meanwhile Democrats that move to red states to take advantage of cheap prices have the money and connections to live in decent places and go back to blue states for superior service.
>>1541354derail attempt #1
>>1541361Yes, we call people who switch votes "independent".
>>1541364I sincerely doubt anyone who voted for him has ever changed their mind
>>1541362>Has an entire thesis based on an anecdoteLmao. Absolute copium.
>>1541299Good. It's too accessible to too many people that didn't ride the wave up from low grade stress, to mids, to chronic, to kush, and on to concentrates. This shit makes me feel sick, and I just get stuck doing weird shit. Stuff I don't even want to do. I used to get high and zone on what I wanted. Now I get stuck either doing some shit I don't like or just thinking about a bunch of crazy shit instead of talking to people. I don't like it at all. It's super addictive. Like you're high as fuck and trying to remember why you smoked again. Next thing you know it's 1-2am
>>1541360retard democrat thinks liberals are them lmao.joe rogan's a lifelong liberal dipshit.Look at japan's current ruling party the "liberal democratic party" guess what side of the political alignment they're on you uneducated dipshit.>>1541361no shit.
>>1541365Then you're very new to politics. >The Obama voters who helped Trump win >https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2016/live-updates/general-election/real-time-updates-on-the-2016-election-voting-and-race-results/map-the-obama-voters-who-helped-trump-win/
>>1541368Rogan is not a liberal. He is a liar and a coward
>>1541371>if you turn against us you're a liar and a coward>if you're with us like a good obedient sheep you're on the right side of historyya go kill yourself bigot.Rogan's a lifelong liberal cunt
>>1541373>Rogan is a lifelong liberalImagine being this far right
>>1541374imagine calling a bernie bro a republican. god democrats are so stupid and out of touch no wonder you lost the liberal voting block.
>>1541373You’re a liar when you lie through your teeth and think everyone is too stupid to noticeHe got on his knees for Trump and has stayed there this entire second term. There is nothing about him that’s liberal. The Nazis called themselves socialists but still thought defeating communism was their number 1 goal. Just cuz you call yourself something, you aren’t actually that.
>>1541376he's more consistant then a piece of shit like you who thinks ur super heroes because u call yourself antifa.Ahh yes I'm sure that's why he's been actively calling out against trump's immigration measures but don't let inconvenient facts and truths get in the way of your bigotted mindset. I genuinely hope you perish
>>1541376You're arguing with an illiterate esl faggot, don't waste your time. Rogan's actually a perfect example of southern hypocrisy. Everyone in Texas knows you can raid his place and put him behind bars for the rest of his life for the amount of marijuana he illegally has. Until he starts going against Trump and the GOP he's safe from the consequences of his crimes.
>>1541378He’s a liar and grifter, and you’re a fucking moron. You can see how much of a fucking coward Rogan is every other weekI can’t remember if it was 1 or 2 weeks ago where he calls out Trump supporters for being stupid, but fails to mention Dear Leader. Really not hard to figure out where he lies
>>1541375cool headcanon
>>1541378>everyone who calls out Trump for being the most corrupt piece of shit ever to hold office is automatically antifaThis is why you people keep losing.
>>1541376>>1541379>>1541380Lmao the seethe Rogan generates is incredible. No, he's not a fucking Republican. Get the fuck outta here you retards. >B... But he had Trump on the podcast! He invited Kamala, she declined.
>>1541382We literally just won.
>>1541299>AP>Nazi news
>>1541384>WeYou aren't on the billionaire's team with the rest of the GOP in power right now. You're a lowly anonymous poster mindlessly cheerleading for your team on a basket weaving forum
>>1541390lol wut?
>>1541394>Noooo getting the things you want when you party wins isn't what's happening
>>1541397>I have no idea what's really happening because I don't read news beyond @AFpost on twitterWe knew that already. Just stop shitposting.
>>1541399I know exactly what's happening, I'm getting what I voted for.
>>1541402Sure you are chuddie, 2 more weeks until the Kraken drops amiright?
>>1541403>Lowest border crossings in history >Highest deportations in history >Generational 2A wins >DEI dead >$11 trillion invested in manufacturing >USAid dead >DOJ actually doing something for once Yep. Got what I voted for award pinned right on my chest :)
>>1541410Aren't the liggerals stinky? Ew, stinky.
>>1541410Imagine being this gullible
>>1541380>>1541381>>1541394everytime trump makes you seethe we win you're a bunch of bigotted retards who are screaming and kicking like babies who're mad you can't act like assholes anymore.
>>1541415repeat after me ORANGE MAN BAD, now remember that reality doesn't matter as long as you think orange man bad. Trump could be mother thressa and still remember ORANGE MAN BAD.-democrat propaganda machine
>>1541427>runs the country into the ground>At least we owned the libs!This is your mindset.
>>1541429What if.. just hear me out on this.. What if Trump was actually worse than the libshits said he was, and his cult of followers were blind to the emperor having no clothes?
>>1541430liberals voted for trump dipshit.>>1541436then why are you still alive?
>>1541429>mother thressaWho the fuck is that?
>>1541437Spend less time in your right wing hugbox. Maybe go outside for an hour.
>>1541430I mean yeah, but Republicans are the actual libs these days.So when you elected Joe Biden to run the country into the ground, we did get owned.
>>1541445Joe did what he could but it's going to take 100 years to recover from Trump's fuckups.
>>1541445>So when you elected Joe Biden to run the country into the groundI thought that election was stolen?
>>1541449Indeed. Russia hacked the 2020 election so it could start the war in Ukraine under a sympathetic president who wanted evidence of his and his son's corruption destroyed.
>elected Joe Biden to run the country into the groundIts funny that the AI that esl shill uses to translate their posts understands that Biden was bringing this country up from how far down Trump sank it.
>>1541453lol. No one believes that. Not even Joe Biden
>>1541454Biden beat Trump though?
>>1541451>bb-but Hunter Biden!The absolute state of the GOP
>>1541451>Indeed. Russia hacked the 2020 election so it could start the war in Ukraine under a sympathetic president who wanted evidence of his and his son's corruption destroyed.So why are you whining about americans "electing" Biden when they didn't elect him?
>>1541363If you actually believed that, you wouldn't have responded.
>>1541469Do you have anything to add about the impending hemp/thc ban which will put thousands of americans out of a job?
>>1541472>Oh no! They won't be able to peddle destructive substances to consumers!
>>1541478Yeah what a shame all those soldiers with PTSD and chronic ailments now have to take fent instead or drink themselves to death.
We didnt hear any of this election issue shit until Trump, the fascist and biggest pathological liar to exist came around.The fact that he isn't crowing over the 2024 or 2016 election tells you all you need to know. He even had a tweet early evening of 2024 election say about voting issues, but by the next morning I guess that didn't matter anymore.
>>1541488its just another reason to move to the superior states run by democrats
>>1541443you get ur news off bluesky and rddt dipshit. there are no right wing hugboxes anymore but there's plenty of leftist schizo ones.
>>1541533What the fuck is a bluesky and rddt?
>>1541535they talk about rddt all the time, I think they're from there
>>1541533nigger you get your news from your asshole
>>1541533>there are no right wing hugboxes anymoreYou clearly have mental issues.
>>1541472Yeah, the government of Florida spent money earmarked for sick kids to prevent an unban from passing. The Republican government. Run by the same party implementing a federal ban.
>>1541550It apparently isn't a partisan issue. I read somewhere that John Boehner, former Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, owns one of the largest weed growing farms in Ohio.
